Celebrating local trails and working to join them together - across Vermont!

introductory slideshow Click here for an introductory slideshow.

The Cross Vermont Trail is a project to make a multi-use path the width of Vermont following the Winooski River and Wells River.

Imagine walking out your front door and within minutes stepping onto a system of paths leading through village centers, to schools, parks, wild areas and beyond - a network of local trails, inviting to all - interconnected. This is the dream of the Cross Vermont Trail.

You can help! The Cross Vermont Trail Association is a non-profit organization working to make this dream a reality. We are member based and volunteer driven. Everyone is welcome to join.

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Explore

Cross Vermont Trail is a state wide biking and walking route that highlights local trails, and identifies the best roads that can be used to connect them together to make longer trips. Read our online guide and maps to plan your exploration!

Build

Cross Vermont Trail is a project to build new trails with the long term goal of creating a complete off road route, joining together local trails into a state wide network. This is a true grass roots effort, you can help!

Partner

The Cross Vermont Trail is a cooperation of many landowners and local groups. We link efforts across boundaries, and are a responsible partner to care for trails where property owners are interested in allowing public use.

Donate

Through PayPal, with any major credit card.

CVTA is a small non profit charity - all contributions go to work on the trail!

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Help us grow in 2024!

Donate to our Annual Appeal.

This past year was a humdinger after the floods of early July. Thanks to your past support we were able to respond strongly and repair storm damage better than before.

Please consider making a new donation now so that we can hit the ground running in 2024, making more trail.

Read our full Annual Letter here, or download it as a PDF.

Full flood report and trail status posted at our Flood Impacts statewide summary and ongoing updates page.

Winooski Bridge Project

The Bridge is Open!

And we are going full steam to build over 5 miles of new trail - to complete a connection from the Montpelier Bike Path up to U-32 and across East Montpelier to where the rail trail starts at Route 14.

A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the bridge and the first section of new trail to public use was held in 2022.

Throughout 2023 we are finishing the connection trails up to U-32 and also some access trails along the banks of the Winooski. Then later in 2023 and 2024 we will continue working upstream along the river, before finally cutting across country to the old railbed again and coming out at Route 14.

Read updates and see the full project summary here. And - just for fun - still keeping the crazy drone footage posted up showing the amazing bridge launch across the water.

 
map of Winooski Bridge project trail phases

Click here for larger version of map.

CVTA Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025

Charting the way forward for the Cross Vermont Trail.

The Winooski Bridge is the start line, not the finish line. We are committed to thoughtfully persisting in the long term work needed to make real the vision of a trail across Vermont.

We will:

  • increase off road trail mileage
  • expand visibility of the work we do
  • build capacity to be a resilient organization
  • promote partnerships to strengthen regional trail networks and increase community vitality

Read the full plan here.

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The spirit of our statewide route.

Shared stories
from trail journeys.

Read about the trips folks have made on the Cross Vermont Trail route. Just finished your own journey? Let us know what you saw!

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Guidebook to nature and history along the Cross Vermont Trail.

Look beneath the surface. Explore the landscape of the trail. (The nature and history guide is keyed to locations in the statewide route map set.)

The guide is written in part by local middle and high school students. We'd like to work with more classes to continue to improve and expand it.

dog walkers volunteer workers