Waterbury Outside Fun

Like so many other destinations in Vermont, Waterbury offers a mountain of recreational opportunities every season of the year.

Come summer, you’ll want to stick more than your big toe into the Waterbury Reservoir and feel the freshness of this five-mile-long body of water, fed by two rivers and surrounded by forested public land. Go ahead and take a swim at the public beach or launch your boat at one of the landings. Rent a boat, kayak or SUP at Umiak Outdoor Outfitters. They also offer a variety of river tours with themes that highlight Vermont favorites such as wildlife, maple syrup and ice cream! Fish and camp at Little River State Park on the south side or head out on a nice hike on one of the nearby nature trails.

In town, you’ll find a public pool and tennis courts. Waterbury may be considered a golfer’s paradise, at least by New England terms. West Bolton Golf Club ranks high and the good news is that it has remained affordable. Duffers young and old can also play a good game at Hunger Mountain, Blush Hill Country Club and Camel’s Hump mountain.

The latter is part of the Long Trail, a very long trail (duh) that follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains from the Massachusetts-Vermont state line to the Canadian border. It crosses through Vermont’s highest peaks–including Mount Mansfield–and also makes up some of the Vermont section of the Appalachian trail. Built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 and 1930, this 272-mile footpath is said to be the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States. Add to that 166 miles of side trails and approximately 70 backcountry campsites, many of which feature shelters, there are near infinite possibilities for fun for novices and experts alike along the Long Trail.

Want to scale back your playing field a bit? Why not consider miniature golf? Lots-O-Balls Mini Golf in nearby Duxbury provides buckets of fun for the whole family.

Skating has long been a big part of Vermont life. It comes as no surprise that The Ice Center, a community-based arena in town, offers all kinds of skating opportunities all year long.

All respectable mountain towns have excellent shops that sell and rent bikes and skis. Waterbury Sports is one such shop, so head there for all your biking and skiing needs. They do very good repair work as well.

In addition to being close to four renowned Vermont ski resorts, snowsports enthusiasts can enjoy skiing and riding by day and night closer to Waterbury at Bolton Valley. They also boast a nordic center as well as slopeside dining and lodging.

Umiak Outdoor Outfitters can also hook you up in the winter with ski, snowshoe, sledding and dog sledding tours as well as other types of fun activities. And, of course, they send out their fat tire bikes year-round.