Getting Around Vermont

The Short Answer: You Need a Car

Outside of Burlington's Church Street area and the University of Vermont campus, public transit in Vermont moves too slowly and infrequently to base a trip on. The state runs on Route 100 through the central mountains, I-89 up the northwest corridor, and a web of two-lane state highways and unpaved dirt roads connecting dairy farms and ski villages. Renting a car at Burlington International Airport (BTV) or picking one up in Brattleboro, Rutland, or White River Junction is the most reliable way to reach every corner of the state.

Car rental rates at BTV run roughly $60–130 per day (estimate) in summer and shoulder season. In peak foliage season, from late September through mid-October, inventory drops fast and rates can climb to $120–200 per day or more (estimate). Book 6–8 weeks ahead if your dates overlap Columbus Day weekend, which draws the biggest crowds of the year to towns like Stowe, Woodstock, and the Northeast Kingdom. Secure your car before you book your inn.

Key Drive Times Across Vermont

Vermont is small on a map but the roads are slow. I-89 is the only real highway running through the state, stretching from White River Junction northwest to Burlington and then north to the Canadian border at St. Albans. Off that spine, nearly everything is two-lane state highway, and speeds through mountain terrain average 40–45 mph. The drives you are most likely to make: Burlington to Stowe is 36 miles and about 45 minutes via I-89 to Exit 10, then south on Route 100. Burlington to Woodstock is 88 miles and about 1 hour 30 minutes via I-89 south to Exit 1 at White River Junction, then Route 4 west. Burlington to Manchester is 138 miles and about 2 hours 30 minutes via I-89 south to Exit 1, then Route 4 west to Route 7 south. Burlington to St. Johnsbury, the hub of the Northeast Kingdom, is 74 miles and about 1 hour 20 minutes via I-89 east then I-91 north. Stowe to Killington is 58 miles and about 1 hour 20 minutes via Route 100 south through the Mad River Valley.

Route 100 is the interior spine that threads north to south through Waitsfield, Warren, Killington, Londonderry, and Wilmington. It keeps you on higher terrain longer than I-89 and is the logical connecting road for a resort-hopping ski trip or a leaf-peeping loop through the mountain towns. For southern Vermont, Route 9, called the Molly Stark Byway, crosses east-west between Brattleboro and Bennington over the southern Green Mountains and is one of the more rewarding drives in that part of the state.

Getting to Vermont: Airports, Trains, and Buses

Burlington International (BTV) is the main entry point, with direct flights from New York (JFK, LGA, EWR), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia (PHL), Chicago (ORD and MDW), Washington Dulles (IAD), and Charlotte (CLT) on American, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest. If you are headed to the southern half of the state, flying into Albany (ALB) can save you 45 minutes or more: it sits about 60 miles from Manchester and Stratton. Manchester-Boston Regional (MHT) in New Hampshire is about 2 hours from Woodstock and sometimes offers cheaper fares than BOS. Lebanon Municipal (LEB), a small airport directly across the Connecticut River from White River Junction, handles Cape Air commuter flights from Boston and is 5 minutes from downtown White River Junction.

Amtrak runs two routes into Vermont. The Vermonter operates once daily from New York Penn Station north through Springfield, Massachusetts, then White River Junction, Montpelier, Waterbury, and Essex Junction, the station that serves Burlington (located in the town of Essex, not Burlington itself), ending at St. Albans. New York to Burlington runs roughly 9–10 hours. The Ethan Allen Express runs once daily from New York to Rutland via Albany. Both trains are scenic and unhurried, but neither replaces a car: you will need a taxi, shuttle, or rental from whichever station you arrive at. Essex Junction has on-site rental desks; most other Vermont Amtrak stops have limited or no rental options, so arrange pickup in advance if you are arriving by rail.

Green Mountain Transit runs buses throughout the Burlington metro and Chittenden County, and rides are free. Vermont Translines operates intercity coaches between Rutland, White River Junction, Montpelier, and Burlington a few times a day. Neither network reaches ski resorts, the Northeast Kingdom, or most Upper Valley towns in a useful way for visitors carrying ski bags or hiking gear.

Winter Roads, Mud Season, and Seasonal Closures

Ski season runs December through March, and winter tires are the most important gear decision you will make for driving Vermont in that window. AWD and 4WD help on resort access roads and hilly two-lane highways, but neither feature substitutes for tires with actual winter tread on black ice or packed snow. When renting a car for a ski trip, ask the agency specifically whether the vehicle has winter tires, not just all-season tires. All-season rubber performs poorly on Vermont's hilly, shaded two-lanes after a freeze-thaw cycle.

Route 108 through Smugglers Notch closes to through traffic every year, typically from November into May, because the road squeezes between 1,000-foot cliff walls and boulders too tight for plow equipment to clear. A seasonal gate sits on the Stowe side of the pass. If you are moving between Stowe and Jeffersonville in winter, use Route 15 through Johnson instead: it adds about 18 miles but takes 35 minutes and stays open year-round. This is one of the most common navigation mistakes first-time Vermont winter visitors make, especially when GPS still shows Route 108 as a through route.

Mud season runs from mid-March through late April and degrades unpaved roads throughout the state. The Vermont Agency of Transportation posts weight restriction signs on dirt roads during posting season to prevent deep rutting, and roads that look passable on a satellite map can develop 12-inch mud holes after a warm-then-freeze cycle. Stick to paved routes in spring, especially in the Northeast Kingdom, where heavy clay soils stay wet longest. For guidance on timing your trip around road and weather conditions, see the Best Time to Visit Vermont guide.

Practical Tips for Driving Vermont

Gas up in towns. Rural stretches of Route 100 between Warren and Weston, and much of the Northeast Kingdom north of St. Johnsbury, can go 30 or more miles between fuel stops. Fill the tank whenever you pass through any town with a traffic light.

Download offline maps before you leave cell range. Signal drops reliably in mountain terrain between Stowe and the Kingdom, and on the hilly stretches between Middlebury and Woodstock. A Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer, available at most gas stations for around $25 (estimate), covers every dirt road and logging track in the state and is more useful off the main routes than any app. Some of the best fall color roads and covered bridge routes are not in any mapping database.

Leave morning buffer on leaf-season weekends. Congestion on Route 100 through the Stowe corridor and on Route 4 through Quechee and Woodstock during peak foliage weekends can add 20–40 minutes to what the map shows as a 30-minute drive. Columbus Day weekend in particular backs up from the I-89 onramps all the way through town centers.

For lodging that matches your base to your itinerary, see Where to Stay in Vermont. If you are arriving in November or later, pair it with What to Pack for Vermont for winter driving gear. The full regional breakdown and how far each part of the state sits from the others is on the Vermont Travel Guide home page.