The Mad River Valley runs along Route 100 between two ridges of the Green Mountains, with the river threading through it and a ski mountain on either side — Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. The towns are small: Waitsfield is the hub, Warren sits below Sugarbush to the south, and farm fields fill the stretches between. Our two log cabins are in Duxbury at the valley’s north end, thirteen minutes from Waitsfield, and this is the corner of Vermont we know best.
This is a guide to the valley itself — its history, the skiing, where to eat, and what to do when the lifts aren’t running.
A short history
Waitsfield was chartered in 1782 to a group of Revolutionary War officers and settled in 1789 by one of them: General Benjamin Wait, who arrived from Sudbury, Massachusetts at fifty-three with two of his sons, and gave the town his name. The Great Eddy covered bridge has carried Bridge Street over the Mad River since 1833 — one of the oldest covered bridges still in use in Vermont.
The towns
Waitsfield is the town that serves both mountains: restaurants, shops, and ski services in one walkable stretch, with the covered bridge at the end of it. Warren, the smaller village to the south, sits below Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak. Waterbury, thirteen minutes north of the cabins off I-89, has a walkable downtown with good bars and restaurants — near Stowe without the tourist feel.
The skiing
Mad River Glen is a skier-owned co-op, one of the last mountains in the country that bans snowboarding — technical terrain, real moguls, serious vertical, and the single chair. Sugarbush is the big mountain: two peaks, Lincoln and Ellen, a wide spread of terrain, on the Icon pass. Between the two, the valley covers both kinds of ski trip from one base.
Two more within reach: Bolton Valley, twenty-nine minutes, is smaller and cheaper — a locals’ mountain with night skiing, on neither Icon nor Epic. And Cochran’s, thirty-one minutes, is a tiny family-owned hill with Olympic ski-racing roots, run partly on the honor system. Bring the kids.
Where to eat and drink
Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield is the valley’s brewery — a big indoor-outdoor space known for its IPAs, Sip of Sunshine among them, with good bar snacks. American Flatbread’s flagship serves wood-fired pizza in a red barn among the hills. Canteen Creemee does new-style creemees plus very good fried chicken and burgers; it’s usually busy. The Blue Stone covers brick-oven pizza, The Reservoir has American food and craft beers, and Zenbarn adds live music in a barn-style space — good for a group.
In Waterbury, Prohibition Pig is barbecue and a brewery in one. Cold Hollow Cider Mill, nineteen minutes, pours hard ciders on draft and is famous for its cider donuts.
When the lifts aren’t running
The Long Trail runs the ridge above the valley. The Hedgehog Brook Trailhead, fifteen minutes from the cabins, climbs toward Burnt Rock — a 4.9-mile round trip to open ledges. The Monroe Trail up Camel’s Hump, twenty-eight minutes, is a hard 6-mile round trip to the best summit views in the range. For something easy, Little River State Park has a streamside walk twenty-four minutes away.
In late September and early October, the foliage here is the classic version — we wrote a separate guide to timing it.
Getting there, and where to stay
The valley is on Route 100, reached from I-89 at Waterbury or Middlesex. If you want to stay in the quiet part of it, Wychwood is two log cabins on ten wooded acres in Duxbury: Gardener’s sleeps four, with a clawfoot soaking tub on the covered porch (seasonal) and a cottage garden; Alchemist’s is darker, more secluded, built for two. Both are pet-free with keypad self check-in — twenty minutes from Mad River Glen, twenty-two from Sugarbush, thirteen from dinner in Waitsfield.
Where to Stay
Common questions
Which ski areas are in the Mad River Valley?
Two: Mad River Glen, the skier-owned co-op with no snowboarding (20 minutes from our cabins), and Sugarbush, the two-peak Icon-pass mountain (22 minutes). Bolton Valley is 29 minutes and Stowe 41 if you want variety.
What is there to do outside ski season?
Hike the Long Trail — Burnt Rock is a 4.9-mile round trip and Camel’s Hump a hard 6 — visit the 1833 covered bridge in Waitsfield, and make the rounds of Lawson’s, Canteen Creemee, and the cider mills. Late September through mid-October is peak foliage.
Where should we eat in the valley?
Lawson’s Finest Liquids for beer and snacks, American Flatbread for wood-fired pizza in the red barn, Canteen Creemee for creemees and fried chicken, and Prohibition Pig in Waterbury for barbecue.
Where should we stay in the Mad River Valley?
Wychwood, our two log cabins on ten wooded acres in Duxbury: Gardener’s Log Cabin sleeps four, Alchemist’s is built for two. Both are pet-free with keypad self check-in, 20–22 minutes from the lifts.
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Last updated July 2026