Where to spend summer in VT with 2500 to spend?

Submitted by CapGrundle t3_10oodw9 in vermont

Just like the title says. I’ve got about $2500 and eight weeks to chill. I just want to hike, mountain bike, and kick around some little community. Thinking I’ll probably stay in a tent in a campground, cook meals there, and retreat to my junky car if weather gets too miserable.

Suggestions to where I might base myself for maximum enjoyment, cool vibes, good trails, affordability, and proximity to services (would like to avoid using car entirely once I’m established). Thanks!

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advamputee t1_j6g057g wrote

Rutland is cheap, has hiking and mountain biking nearby. Pine Hill Park for some good XC trails outside of town, Killington for lift-serviced downhill. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail run just outside of town (and split apart outside of Mendon).

With your budget, camping will definitely be the most affordable option. If you have a car / van to camp out of it’d make your quality of life better. You can dispersed camp in a few areas but there are rules about how close you can camp to trails, roads and sources of water — maps of where to camp can be found online.

If you’re primarily interested in hiking, I’d do a stretch of the AT. There’s tons of free camping options, and plenty of places specifically catered to AT hikers (like a hostel in downtown Rutland that’s free for hikers — though it’s owned by a literal cult, so there are some mixed opinions about it).

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wut_the_phuck t1_j6g86yj wrote

Lol I’d let you come chill on my property for WAYYY cheaper than any of that. I’m 15 min from Bennington but live in the middle of the woods. I have 30 acres that you could go nuts on so to speak. I am very liberal and do not care what you do, as long as you are respectful of the land. Camping and biking would be more than encouraged though. I live in a valley on a mountain with nothing but dirt roads and logging roads. And if your extreme enough most of my land is on a 45 degree angle hills 😋

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patonbike t1_j6hkbj4 wrote

Try a national forest camp site which could be free.

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mmartino03 t1_j6hv11a wrote

Most campgrounds book out months in advance so I'd jump on that now. That said Little River state park/campground is pretty spot on for what you're looking for.

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-_Stove_- t1_j6i2dw0 wrote

So there's this big green forest thing...

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Senior-Tradition-246 t1_j6idm5w wrote

Replying to Twombls (#1,614,809)

I mean, they say they have a car, and they don't say they aren't willing to drive it anywhere once they park it at a campground...

Vermont is probably the only place in new england where you CAN do this... OP, there's a shit ton of National Forest camping up and down the state with everything you want to do out the back door.. you can stay at a campsite for up to 3 weeks (maybe 2? I think it's 3 though). Theres enough of them to enjoy one for 5 days at a time, go to town, and go look for another one (on a tuesday morning lol. they fill up...) There's also dispersed camping. There's also the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, state parks (although reservations might be tough for those). Basecamp all along rt 100 from Waitsfield-Warren-Rochester stretch are probably the little basecamp type towns you're envisioning. Don't expect to chill on the sidewalk for 3 weeks in these towns, but perfect if you're basecamping in the national forest, but a couple times a week you want to go in for a coffee, groceries, a general store sandwhich, a farmers market.

If you're in-the-know with the borderline dirtbag lifestyle, 300$ a week will keep you loving this area for hikes, bikes, chilling and summer vibes.

"probably nowhere" for the rich new yorker who needs Vermont to bow down to them 3 meals a day. Probably everywhere for the crafty outdoors nomad.

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edit: you could even bike into warren/waitsfield from the nice little national forest camping road (#5 maybe) just south of warren by a little bridge and pullout on rt100.

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Twombls t1_j6ikfaj wrote

Replying to Senior-Tradition-246 (#1,615,891)

Thats fair. I didn't consider the route 100 side. When I do the national forest im usually camping along the LT and I access it from the west side. There really isnt anywhere near a town to boondok near a town except for some parcels near Ripton and breadloaf. But honestly I get really bad vibes from those places. Weird shit goes down there. And other than national forests everything in vt is slowly getting regulated due to popularity. Almost no dispursed camping. Only primitive with a 3 night limit on state land.

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WhatTheCluck802 t1_j6jfwgh wrote

Really any State Park is a great choice. You can’t go wrong with whichever you choose.

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