Mad River Glen isn’t like other ski areas. It’s a cooperative — owned by the skiers who ski it — one of only a few mountains in the country that still don’t allow snowboarding, and home to the single chair, one of the last single-seat lifts in North America. The terrain is steep and natural, left roughly as the mountain made it, and the place wears its old motto, “Ski It If You Can,” without irony.
Our two log cabins sit twenty minutes away, on ten wooded acres in Duxbury. This is a guide to the mountain and the valley around it — the skiing, the towns, and where to eat after a day out — for guests staying nearby.
What the mountain is like
Mad River Glen runs the way a co-op suggests: little changes year to year, natural snow over heavy grooming, and trails cut narrow through the trees. There’s no snowboarding. The single chair still carries skiers to the summit one at a time. It’s steep and technical, with real moguls, and it draws a loyal, old-school following.
If your group has a range of abilities, Sugarbush is twenty-two minutes away with two peaks and far more groomed terrain, so a lot of guests split their days between the two.
The Mad River Valley
The valley runs along Route 100 between the two mountains. Waitsfield is the hub — a covered bridge, a general store, restaurants, and ski shops in one walkable stretch, thirteen minutes from the cabins — with Warren just south and Waterbury to the north.
Après and dinner
The closest brewery is Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, twelve minutes out — indoor and outdoor seating, the IPAs it’s known for including Sip of Sunshine, a few lagers, and small plates. For dinner, American Flatbread’s flagship is fourteen minutes away: wood-fired pizza in a red barn that suits a cold night off the hill. Canteen Creemee in Waitsfield does new-style creemees plus fried chicken and burgers, an easy stop on the drive home.
Where you’ll stay
Wychwood is two log cabins on ten private wooded acres in Duxbury, reached by a town dirt road and then a short shared private one — twenty minutes from the single chair, and well clear of the base-area crowds at the end of the day. Gardener’s Log Cabin sleeps four, with a cast-iron clawfoot tub on the covered porch (seasonal) and a cottage garden; Alchemist’s is the darker, more secluded of the two, built for a couple. Both are strictly pet-free, with keypad check-in.
Where to Stay
Common questions
How far is Mad River Glen from the Wychwood cabins?
Twenty minutes. Sugarbush is twenty-two, so you can base at one address and ski either mountain without a long drive to the lifts.
Can I ski Sugarbush from the same place?
Yes. Both cabins put Sugarbush twenty-two minutes away and Mad River Glen twenty, a convenient split if your group wants a mix of technical terrain and more room to roam.
Is there anywhere close for après-ski?
Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield is the closest brewery at twelve minutes, with indoor and outdoor seating. American Flatbread is fourteen minutes for dinner, and the town of Waitsfield is thirteen.
Which cabin should couples versus families book?
Alchemist’s Log Cabin is built for couples: one bedroom, dark and romantic, the more secluded of the two. Gardener’s Log Cabin sleeps four across two bedrooms, better suited to a small family or two couples.
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Last updated July 2026