BURLINGTON VT BIKE PATH - OUR 20 MILE TRIP

Map of 20 our mile bike trip.

The was one of the nicest bikeways we have been on because it is flat terrain and you bike through many diverse environments. Come along on this ride.

We started at Water Park which is on Lake Champlain in downtown Burlington. We rode along where others were walking, skating, and just relaxing on the beach.

Then we rode through a park area where an elaborate venue was being contructed. Being curious we asked what were they constructing. They were, of course, preparing for the Choo Choo Festival. "I didn't know trains came through here." Reply: "Not Choo Choo, but Chew Chew." Well that makes a difference. It is a festival put on by the local restaurants where you can get a small sample of the food they serve. Each sample cost a token and each token cost 25 cents. So people can try out restaurants without having a full course meal. Great idea!

--- Lake Champlain view near the start of the bike trail.

After "Chew Chew", we ride along the shores of Lake Champlain that is isolated from the Water Park. The lake is wide, deep blue with small ripples across the water. Across to the other shore are mountains after mountains of the Adirondack range in New York State.

Immediately thereafter, the ride travels through an old railroad yard with some very old railroad cars still on a side track. From there, we ride into North Park which on the left is a path that enters a lovely City RV Campground and on the right from the main bikeway is a path that leads to North Beach. This is a beautiful sandy beach with many sun and beach goers.

From here, the path transitions through neighborhood backyard boundaries and it is so interesting to see so many backyards--vegetable gardens, flower gardens, decks, patios, play areas for children--the interests of its owners.

--- Bike bridge over this bay area of Lake Champlain.

Next we come to a bridge over an a stream that flows into Lake Champlain. A grandpa with his three grandsons asks if we would take their picture. Sure. He says "Do you have a camera?" Only kidding. He had he own camera so we took their picture and they took ours. People are great!

--- Bike path continues through Delta Park Wildlife Refuge.

Next the bikeway goes through a protected Wildlife Refuge where we spotted three families of ducks with their young enjoying a pond. Then, the bikeway goes through an older neighborhood from the 1950s--not so old to some. It had the detached garages, clothes lines out in the back, and beginning to have a more bungalow look. Plants and bushes are overgrown and yards and homes have that real lived-in look of generations gone by.

The Colchester section is next. Here there is a place for snacks and rest rooms in a nearby park. From there the path descends into a bog preserve. This is the only so called hill on the pathway. The bog is like being in a completely different place. No people, houses, roads, or businesses. It is cool and damp and quiet. Are there really strange creatures out there in the silence?

--- The old railroad bed which is the last leg of the completed Bike Path.

After the bog, the bikeway enters an old railroad bed that crosses over Colchester Bay. It is breathtaking. To the left is Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains and to the right is Colchester Bay and the Vermont Green Mountains.

Along the way there are large white marble stones and several of them have beautiful artwork on them. The art is small, but very detailed pictures of nature scenes. There are ferns and wildflowers on either side the railroad bed and the scent is wonderful.

As the path gets further out into the bay, the winds off the water can really be felt. Going out it was cooling and refeshing. Returning one hour later, the winds had picked up giving an indication of how it could be if a biker were ever caught in a sudden storm over the bay.