From Burke (looking north to Willoughby)

Riding this area can be a very full day, depending on stops. If you are planning to be in the area prior to July 17 or later than July 22, you will find many good campgrounds in the eastern part of the state - Barrewood Campground in Rt 100 in Westfield is one, and they are motorcycle friendly. Brighton State Park in Island Pond and Maidstone State Park on Rt 102 between Bloomfield and Guildhall are two more. Note that the road into Maidstone is about five miles of graded dirt - this particular road can be greasy once it gets wet. Mom and Pop motels and bed and breakfasts are plentiful, but you may want to reserve B&Bs ahead of time.

Someone "from away" had asked the Heifermeister (Ted Hall) to highlight the good roads on a Vermont map. Ted did. Then he showed the map to me. I asked, "Well, what about this one? And this one? This one’s a really good road! What about dirt?" Ted said, "Dave doesn't do dirt." He gave me the highlighter. Between the two of us, nearly the whole state map was marked. The routes I've suggested here are only a couple of the possibilities. There will be many Vermonters at Lake Carmi State Park and at the Rally willing to suggest directions once you have an idea of what you want to do or see, so be sure to ask. Maps, links, and rides will be available both at Lake Carmi, the Rally, and from the BMW MOA website.

Darlington Hill forest Road

From the Rally site: Take Rt 15 east to Cambridge or Jeffersonville. Then pick where you want to go for the day. There are numerous covered bridges in the area (more on covered bridges in an upcoming article), many of them requiring a side trip from Rt 15. To loop through the Northeast Kingcom, take Rt 15 east all the way to Rt 100C in Johnson, which runs into Rt 100 in North Hyde Park, continuing north on Rt 100 until you reach Rt 105. This road takes you through Newport and Lake Memphramagog (a 40-mile long glacial lake that extends into Canada), on through Derby Center, and then runs southeast into Island Pond. Do obey all traffic laws to the letter in Island Pond to avoid becoming a revenue source for the town; the word persnickety could have originated here.

From Lake Carmi State Park: Go south on Rt 236 to Rt 105, headed east - all the way to Island Pond. If you're hungry, Jennifer's Restaurant in Island Pond is a good place to eat; it is on the west side of Rt 105 just south of the intersection with Rt 114.

From Island Pond: continue on Rt 105 to Bloomfield; then you can either go (option 1) north on Rt 102 to Canaan, Rt 114 west to Norton, and continue on Rt 114 south back to Island Pond, or alternatively from Bloomfield (option 2) you can take Rt 102 south along the Connecticut River. Whichever route you take, you'll pass through vast areas of marshland and forest, home to moose and other wildlife. You'll pass through wide valleys dotted with farms, and small villages complete with country stores. Ride through Guildhall, and in about 14 miles, pick up US Rt 2 west to St Johnsbury. On the way into town you'll pass the Maple Grove Farms Museum, which offers tours and maple products. Both the Fairbanks Museum of Natural History and the St Johnsbury Atheneum are to the left, going north on Main Street.

For dirt riders traveling south on Rt 102, go west on The Granby Road about two miles south of Guildhall. This graded-dirt road takes you twenty miles through the forests past the tiny villages (don't blink) of Granby and Gallup Mills, and on to Rt 114 near East Burke. (Alternatively, take a left in Gallup Mills to continue on dirt through Victory to North Concord and US Rt 2, going west on Rt 2 into St Johnsbury to see the attractions described above.)

Lake Willoughby

From East Burke: Continue on Rt 114, and turn north on Rt 5, then take Rt 5A in West Burke to ride along Lake Willoughby. Continue on up Rt 5A to Rt 58 west to Irasburg. Take Rt 14 south, with a stop at Craftsbury Common if you have time. Watch for signs for Craftsbury Road to get to the Common; this road will loop back to Rt 14. Take Rt 14 all the way to Hardwick, where you can pick up Rt 15 west back to the rally site. If you're headed for Lake Carmi, take Rt 15 to Cambridge, go north on Rt 106, then Rt 236, three miles out of Enosburg Falls, to Lake Carmi.

From Lyndonville to US Rt 2: Take US 5 south to I-91; go south to Rt 2 west.

From St Johnsbury: Continue on US Rt 2 west. See below.

From US Rt 2: Continue west through Danville and West Danville. There are nice views to the south. Watch for the sign for The Bird Man, 2-3 miles past West Danville. Take the Cabot Road north for 1/2 mile; yes, it is dirt, but it is well graded. At the top of the hill on the right is where Edmond Menard, the Bird Man lives. Edmond learned to carve birds with spread wings from a single piece of white cedar from Chester Nutting. Birds include generic birds, pelican with small fish, flying duck, humming bird, chickadee, and more recently turkeys and geese. His work is reasonably priced and is a good example of Vermont folk art. And Edmond loves to talk motorcycles.

Back on Rt 2, continue west another five miles and take Rt 215 north to Cabot and the Cabot Creamery. Continuing north from Cabot will bring you to Rt 15. Go west on Rt 15 back to Jeffersonville where you were earlier in the day.

My Ride in the Kingdom, Starting in East Burke

Last summer I rode the Auto Road to the top of Burke Mountain, overlooking the Northeast Kingdom and Lake Willoughby. Lake Willoughby lies between Mt Hor and Mt Pisgah; the silhouette is very distinctive, showing a dramatic glacial cut. You can climb the fire tower at the top of Burke Mountain for a 360 degree view of northern New England. Normally you can see beyond the mountains into Canada to the north, Mt Washington and the White Mountain Range in New Hampshire to the east, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the west, along with the Connecticut River Valley to the south.

Northeast Kingdom Valley

If you want to stay on pavement, continue north on Rt 5A to Rt 105 east into Island Pond. If you don't mind dirt, about 4 miles from the southern end of the lake take Hinton Hill Road east to Rt 105 near Island Pond. At the top of the Hinton Hill, look back - the view west is worth seeing. Someday I'll be there at sunset.

I rode from Island Pond north on Rt 114 to Norton on the Canadian border, then continued east on Rt 114 to Canaan. The Jimapco Vermont Atlas (great detail, and fits in your side case without folding) shows a dirt road leading off of Rt 114 along the southern shore of Averill Lake to Branch road to East Branch Rd down to Rt 105 - something ADVRiders might want to explore. When I asked about that route at the Bloomfield general store, I was told that one could easily get lost on logging roads back there . . . . so, bring your GPS. Since I don't have a GPS, and I was riding alone, I opted for sticking to pavement - I'll save it for another day.

In Canaan I took Rt 102 south, stopping at the Lemington Covered Bridge, and continued on to Bloomfield. I picked up Rt 105 back to Island Pond (again, watch the speed limits and do stop for all stop signs . . . foot down).

I took Rt 105 west out of Island Pond. Pavement riders can either take Rt 114 south to Lyndonville, or try (I never have) Newark Hill Road which becomes Abbott Hill Road/Newark Road back to US Rt 5A just north of West Burke; turn described next. Dirt riders may want to take another way. The map showed an interesting dirt road that paralleled Rt 114 back to East Burke; I took that one. Newark Hill Road is a right hand turn off Rt 114 about a mile south from the Rt 105/Rt 114 intersection. Within 2-3 miles you want to bear left on Center Pond Road (dirt), which becomes Maple Leaf Road at Newark Hollow, later Burke Green Road and, after crossing Burke Hollow Road, becomes Darling Hill Road. Note the Darling Mansion built by an MIT architect on Darling Hill Road, with many fascinating outbuildings. You'll find an historical marker along the west side of the road describing the site. Continue on Darling Hill Road which connects with Rt 114 in Lyndonville. There are many more roads to explore. Either follow instructions above for getting back, or pick a road – they’re all fun.