Arrival in Burlington. Shelburne Farms; 2-4 miles, easy. Transfer to Goshen. Optional afternoon walk at Blueberry Hill Inn; 2-3 miles, easy

The tour meets in Burlington, where you depart for historic Shelburne Farms, a nonprofit education center promoting sustainability and conservation set on a 1,400 acre working farm. Located on the shores of Lake Champlain and designated as a National Historic Landmark, it was established in 1886 as the agricultural estate of William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb. Today, the farm integrates a host of community and educational activities with a cheesemaking facility, a seasonal inn, an organic Market Garden, and a working dairy with over one hundred Brown Swiss cows.

With numerous trails to choose from, you explore the grounds taking in the incredible vistas while passing by the historic inn as well as the dairy and coach barns. Lunch today is a localvore’s dream. With an ever-changing menu, the Farm Cart offers a host of fresh and creative menu options supplied by local producers and the farm’s own Market Garden, a 7-acre mixed vegetable garden that furnishes produce for the inn and local farmers’ markets.

After lunch, a scenic 1¼-hour drive brings you to your home for the next two nights. The Blueberry Hill Inn is located on 120 private acres of woodlands, trails, lakes, ponds, and alpine terrain near the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, a section of the Green Mountain National Forest. Set in the shadow of Romance Mountain, this original 1813 farmhouse is adorned with antiques and handmade quilts and exudes warmth and rustic charm.

Later in the afternoon those interested embark on a short walk along trails that surround the inn. Dinner this evening is served in the inn’s comfortable dining room.

Silver Lake Trail and Falls of Lana; 2-4 miles, easy to moderate. Optional afternoon hike of Hogback Mtn. Loop; 3 miles, easy to moderate

After enjoying a full country breakfast, you set off to explore a portion of the Green Mountain National Forest’s 22,000 acre Moosalamoo region. Today you enjoy unspoiled access to an area known its wide diversity of plants and animals as well as serene wooded paths, brilliant colors, and lake views. The Silver Lake Trail loops around its namesake body of water before continuing to an overlook at the Falls of Lana, part of the Sucker Brook, whose flow has carved a deep gorge in the surrounding rock. The Falls are a sight to see and in 1850 were named after a popular and respected leader from the Mexican-American War, General Wool (“lana” is Spanish for “wool”).

This afternoon you have time to relax on the porch of the inn or soothe your muscles in the wood-fired sauna while enjoying a fresh, homemade cookie from the inn’s bottomless cookie jar. Or, you may want to join the guides on a three-mile loop walk featuring 200-year-old maples, a beautiful blueberry meadow, and gorgeous views of the Green Mountains, as well as the Adirondack and Taconic ranges. A wonderful dinner is prepared for you tonight in the comfort of the inn’s dining room.

Robert Frost Trail; 1 mile, easy. Little River State Park; 3-4 miles, moderate. Transfer to Stowe

After another enjoyable breakfast, you leave Goshen for the approximate 1½-hour drive towards Stowe. However, not far from the inn you stop to enjoy a one-mile wooded trail loop on the Robert Frost Trail, which commemorates the poetry of Robert Frost, the Vermont State Poet Laureate who spent 23 summers in this area.

Having stretched your legs you settle in for the drive north towards Little River State Park, stopping in the charming village of Warren and the Warren General Store, where you pick up a moveable feast before arriving at the park. This region was once a settlement, home to 50 pioneer families in the early to mid-1800s who raised sheep and cows, made maple syrup, and tended apple orchards. A wooded path takes you past remnants of old town buildings, a schoolhouse, and cemeteries; all evidence of a once-thriving community.

Following a picnic lunch you continue on to Stowe, where wooded trails welcome and spectacular views abound. Your home for the next few evenings is an inn situated in the heart of Stowe village amidst the Green Mountains. New England charm and excellent cuisine provide a warm welcome at the end of an active day.

Trapp Family Lodge; 2-4 miles, easy to moderate or Mt. Mansfield Ridgeline; 3 miles, moderate to challenging

Today you drive to Smuggler’s Notch—the deep, boulder-laden passageway between Mt. Mansfield and Sterling Peak. In the early 1800s, Smuggler’s Notch was used as a route for transporting illegal or embargoed goods in and out of Canada.

Bull Moose Pasture; 4 miles, easy

Today’s walk takes you to beautiful Bull Moose Pasture. You pass working farms, sugar maple groves, and meadows dotted with Vermont’s ubiquitous Holstein cows. Autumn features spectacular fall foliage as leaves of maple, birch, and poplar trees change to dazzling shades of red, orange, and yellow.

This afternoon you take time to visit with George Woodard, a third-generation Vermont organic dairy farmer and storyteller. From George you gain a better understanding of Vermont’s history of dairy farming and maple sugaring as you take a hayride through his meadows overlooking Camel’s Hump, Vermont’s third-highest peak.

This evening you gather for a final dinner at the inn, perhaps enjoying a post-dinner swim in the hotel’s heated swimming pool.

Guide's choice. Departure

After a final breakfast at the inn, your guides will offer a final walk depending largely on the weather and will be chosen from their repertoire of highlights in the area. Excellent views of nearby mountains painted with colorful foliage leaves a lasting impression of your visit to Vermont.

Following a final lunch as a group, you transfer to the Burlington International Airport in time for early evening flights.