Hikers and cyclists can now cross Vermont on New England’s longest rail trail, a year after floods

Associated Press

HARDWICK, Vt. (AP) — The longest rail trail in New England is open this summer for bike riders, hikers, horseback riders and others. The 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was finished in the late spring of 2023. But last July, days before it was set to be formally inaugurated, summer floods closed the trail. The trail was damaged by flooding again this year, but more than 81 miles of it is open. Users can travel the four-season trail between Swanton, in northwestern Vermont, and St. Johnsbury, not far from the Connecticut River border with New Hampshire. Repairs to the flood damage from 2023 and this year are ongoing. The trail goes through 18 communities and includes the Fisher Covered Bridge, one of the last covered railroad bridges in the country.