Waterbury Trails: Video of a Group Ride with VMBA (July 16, 2011)

I challenged everyone in the middle to a ride to the death.  Nobody was interested.  Except the dog.

I recently attended the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival in Waterbury, VT and took part in one of the group rides where some local riders gave us a tour of their backyard.  I was impressed.


My people are orginally from Central Vermont, and my grandparents lived on a farm not far from Waterbury.  On the farm you got your work done early, and the Waterbury trails are no exception.

Also known as Perry Hill, you can access the trails by parking at the Waterbury Ice Rink, and crossing under the highway in a long tunnel.  Immediately after ducking under the highway you're in for a climb seemingly straight up the mountain.  And just when you think the climbing is done, there's more.  Our group leaders had warned us, but I was still surprised when an hour into our tour we were still briskly climbing upward.

A bedrock drop on the left.

After close to 1000 feet of climbing knocked the snot out of us, we were rewarded with a long flowy descent interspersed with technical challenges of all levels.  Waterbury is impressive for all of its exposed bedrock, as the trail winds along some sections of stone so smooth they look like pavement, with other spots where you maneuver down drops guarded by jagged bedrock and hold on for dear life.

Near the end of the descent is a large old-pine forest where you weave in and out of the trees silently skimming across a pine needle carpet. The final section brings you back to the fire road you climbed where you can catch air on the large water bars.

In sum, Waterbury is an excellent mix of smooth singletrack with technical sections which will demand that you elevate your game.

Enjoy the video: