Cady Hill
Photo: Rootsrated
Overview:
Cady Hill is a public trail system in the heart of Stowe, VT. As soon as I pedaled into the woods here I noticed the tall trees with bright colors towering over me, and the nice meadows in between all of it. Did I forget to mention this place has sweet trails too?
Pros:
You’ll find two main descents at Cady Hill: Florence and Bear’s however there is another more technical trail there called Zog’s that I didn’t have the chance to ride. Anyways, Bears is similar to a blue tech trail at a bike park but it only has roots instead of rocks and there are also a few more jumps making this one a must hit. Florence is a super sweet multi option jump trail with a similar building style to Cat’s Paw at Highland, however this trail is only made out of dirt and a bit more beginner friendly in my opinion. Honestly, I think Florence is way more fun than many professionally built jump lines at bike parks, plus it doesn't receive the same amount of traffic making it pretty fresh. You gotta hit this one!
Cons:
I noticed this when I was riding at Perry Hill, and I came across the same thing here: dust. While it is less sandy here since it’s all packed down on flow trails, it is worth noting how many times it got in my eyes. There is a way to get around this by wearing glasses, but either way it’s not that big of an issue. The biggest thing that lets Cady Hill down in my opinion is that there isn’t much variety. In terms of downhill, all you have are Florence and Bear’s and you won’t find a lot of tech riding here.
Rating: 8.25/10
Yes, it might only have one trail category, and only two descents, but the trail design here is just superb. You can take two totally different runs down Florence because of all the lines, or just learn how to keep you’re speed through the roots on Bear’s. Cady Hill also offers a rare escape from the wicked gnarly trails that rule the east coast, and has trails that’ll put a smile on anyone’s face. I know this whole beginner friendly thing is becoming a pattern for Vermont trails, and I think this is because the riding community is so welcoming to newcomers that they’ll carve flowy goodness into the rocky dirt of New England!