Vermont is the country's second-least-populous state, behind another outdoor paradise in Wyoming, and its largest "metropolitan" area, Burlington, has just a hair over 200,000 souls who call it home. 

With no significant population center, Vermont is instead loaded with quaint, small towns throughout its 9,600-ish square miles of modestly mountainous landscape. It's a place famous for its maple syrup and kick-starting the ski industry in America. It's also well known for its dense population of Subarus, several amazing breweries, a plethora of farm-to-table options, cheddar cheese, and of course, Ben and Jerry's. I love Vermont for all of these reasons, to be sure. Still, without a doubt, there are two primary drivers behind my not-so-secret desire to be a Vermonter: the people here are as good as they make 'em, and riding bikes in the woods in this part of the world is absolutely amazing.

Vermont is categorically loaded with world-class mountain biking from top to bottom for a modestly sized state. The same state that helped to usher in the ski industry back in the early twentieth century has, in more recent years, found itself at the sharp end of the spear when it comes to mountain biking in North America. The small community of Killington is a perfect embodiment of this dynamic, as one of the northeast’s preeminent resort towns, the eponymous Killington Mountain Resort is not only the largest ski area on the East Coast, it is also home to the largest lift-served bike park east of the Rockies. 

Killington Resort sits almost squarely in the center of the state, with nearly 2,000 feet of vertical relief, featuring trails that start at the summit and work their way down steep chutes, rock gardens, greasy roots, incredible flow offerings, and plenty of natural features has always been a favorite among many of those who have ever stepped off of the K-1 Gondola. Killington worked with Whistler-based Gravity Logic on a 5-year buildout which resulted in a number of additions that have riders making the trip to the mountain in record numbers.

As bikes have become a bigger priority for the resort town of 1,400 and the surrounding communities, trail access on land adjacent to the bike park has exploded, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Killington Mountain Bike Club, the local chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association. Ben Colona is the founding president of KMBC and as much a fixture within the Killington community as anyone. He also owns and manages Basecamp, a bike and ski shop, located at the intersection of VT routes 4 and 100, and perfectly positioned at one of the trailheads for the Sherburne trails.

“We have great parking, a trail kiosk, a wash and fixit station,” he tells me as we prepare to embark on a lap from the shop. “Of course, we have a full-time bike shop here. And we sell beer.”

The Sherburne Trails network is adjacent to the bike park and is situated on several hundred acres of land managed by multiple land managers, including the National Forest Service and Gifford Woods State Park. The 20+ miles of trail available weave through old growth hardwood forests full of sugar maples and beech, and incorporate a number of trail styles throughout the system, including low speed technical terrain, high speed, purpose-built flow, and everything in between. 

KMBC worked alongside a number of Vermont’s best trail building outfits, which include Sinuosity Trails, L&D Trailworks, and KSA Built. The incredible terrain coupled with world class trail design has resulted in an ever-expanding network designed for riders of all stripes and a worthy alternative to the bike park across the street. The crown jewel of the Sherburne trails is the 3-mile long Sherburner loop, a Tom Lepesquer masterpiece that climbs and descends 650 feet and includes his trademark perfect berms, along with doubles, triples, and a whole lot of high speed flow.

“Part of our master plan”, Ben says as we begin the initial climb up toward Sherburner. “Was to put another trail on top of Pesky Cairn, which is a beginner-intermediate trail Tom built back in 2019. It was really well received, so Tom came back 2 years ago and built Sherburner. It has a gradual climb for the first mile and a half, then it descends for another mile and a half. When you combine it with the lower portion of Pesky Cairn, you’re looking at almost 1,000 feet of descending from top to bottom.”

The Sherburne trails represent an opportunity for the town of Killington to show locals and visitors alike that they are much more than simply a smattering of homes around a ski resort. Sherburne is an example of the power of collaboration and of outdoor recreation. In a state that values quality over quantity, you can add the town of Killington to the growing list of Vermont communities who see mountain bikes as a foundational part of their identity.