Calais Historic Hamlets - About 20 Miles.
* Tour Difficulty: 7.5
Terrain and Road Conditions:
This
route covers some hilly terrain and requires a reasonable degree of
fitness on the part of the cyclist. Most roads are marked. With the
exception of a short stretch on County Road, this entire route is unpaved.
Tour Highlights:
The Hamlet Tour offers an exciting visit through
Central Vermont's countryside. Along this route you will
encounter four compact settlements, each unique, but each
reflective of Vermont's past. You will also traverse landscapes
of pastoral beauty and wind past several lakes and ponds.
There is a tremendous reservoir of history along this ride,
so pedal forward and allow your mind and senses to wander
back.
Route Description:
The most appropriate starting point
along this tour is the tiny village of Maple Corner. Here,
there exists a post office and general store which can provide
both parking and provisions.
Located at the southeast corner of Curtis Pond, Maple Corner owes its existence
to this body of water and the mill industries it helped power. In the early
19th century, the village hosted saw and grist mills. Later, in the 1870's,
a woolen mill and machine shop which produced horse rakes, appeared. Around
1910, a carriage factory here was converted to a creamery which served nearby
farms.
From Maple Corner, pedal east out
of town along Kent Hill Road. Shortly (0.7 mile) you will arrive
at Kent's Corner. This small hamlet has changed very little
over the past 150 years or so and is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Kent Tavern is owned by the
Vermont Historical Society and is occasionally opened to the
public.
Turn left onto Robinson Cemetery
Road at the four corners intersection. Just a short distance
up the road you will notice a historic post and beam, hydro-powered
sawmill to your left. A bit further up the hill you will pass
the cemetery and views of Groton State Forest to the east.
At 1.88 miles you will arrive at
a grassy triangle. Stay to the right and continue along West
County Road for about 1.5 miles at which point you will turn
right onto Bayne Comolli Road.
Remain on this road for 2.5 hilly
miles before arriving at a T intersection with another grassy
triangle. Turn right here onto No. 10 Pond Road. Continue on,
passing the pond on your left.
At the next intersection, a right
hand turn onto North Calais Road will enable you to continue
the loop. However, a very short side trip into the hamlet of
North Calais is recommended. A left hand turn will bring you
there. As you poke around the village you will notice a number
of decrepit dam walls and stone foundations amid the historic
residences. These lay as a record of North Calais's days of
saw and grist milling (as early as 1800), and as a manufacturing
center (later 19th century). Water flowing from No. 10 Pond
powered the production of wooden clocks, cast bells, carriages,
coffins, woolen goods and even wooden fifes.
Exit North Calais the same way
you entered and continue on North Calais Road (which becomes
Pekin Brook Road) for about 4 miles of mostly downhill pedaling.
You will pass the Calais Town Hall, which dates from the mid
19th century, along the way.
At a four corners intersection (10.25
miles), turn right onto George Road passing a farmstead on
the right. The road will begin to climb steeply and turn more
primitive. The road will turn sharply to the left near the
top of the climb, straighten out and reach a T intersection
at 11.7 miles.
Turn right at the T onto Lightening
Ridge Road. (This road earned its name because the wagons that
once used it were often forced to lighten their loads in order
to make the climb. But don't worry; although you will be climbing
again, the steepest part is behind you.)
Proceed on Lightening Ridge Road.
Bearing left, it becomes Adamant Road and descends into the
village of Adamant at about the 13.5-mile mark. This little
hamlet, located on the shore of Sodom Pond was settled in the
1880's when granite was quarried in this locale. It is the
site of the first State Chartered Credit Union in Vermont,
a cooperative store, a renowned music school (offering summer
concerts), and an annual strawberry festival.
Proceeding through the village you
will pass the Adamant Methodist Church on your left. Bear to
the right at the intersection just beyond this point onto Martin
Road.
In 1.13 miles you will reach another
T intersection. Turn right onto County Road and travel for
about one half mile on a paved stretch before turning right
again onto Bliss Pond Road.
Shortly after passing Bliss Pond,
bear left at a grassy triangle onto Old West Church Road
and continue about 1.5 miles back to Kent's Corner. Along
the way you will pass the Old West Church (c.1823), a meeting
house which is heated by wood stoves and retains its original
pews. In letters above the pulpit, a message written in dried
hemlock boughs commands: "Removeth not the ancient landmark
which thy fathers have set."
At Kent's Corners turn left onto
Kent Hill Road and proceed to Maple Corner, concluding your
trip.
The Lake Tour - 7 Miles.
* Tour Difficulty: 6
Terrain and Road Conditions:
While
this is a short loop, it traverses some hilly terrain. Nearly all of this
route is on well-maintained dirt road.
General Description:
This short loop takes you through the wettest
towns in Vermont (Woodbury has 25 lakes and ponds: Calais, 14).
So, bring your swimsuit and fishing pole. Water, however, is
not this route's only attraction. You will also pass through pastoral
countryside and two compact, charismatic villages.
Route Description:
Park at the Woodbury Town Clerk's
Office located on the east side of Route 14 in South Woodbury.
This cluster of Greek Revival structures looks much as it did
during its heyday as a milling center in the mid-19th Century.
Head straight across Rte 14 and
climb Foster Hill Road through the Village of South Woodbury
on a paved surface. Above the village, the road veers to the
left, pavement ends, and the climb continues as you head south
toward Calais.
At about 2 miles, you will descend
into the tiny Village of North Calais. As you poke around this
settlement, notice a number of decrepit dam walls and stone
foundations amid the historic residences. These lay as a record
of North Calais's days of saw and grist milling (as early as
1800), and as a manufacturing center (later 19th century).
Water flowing from No. 10 Pond powered the production of wooden
clocks, cast bells, carriages, coffins, woolen goods and even
wooden fifes.
Stay to the right at the Y (Calais
Road) in the village then make a sharp right onto No. 10 Pond
Road (2.4 miles) at the triangle just beyond.
Proceed along the shores of No.10
Pond and then Nelson Pond (where the road becomes Nelson Pond
Road) . These are beautiful clear, cold water bodies. Both
have public access areas.
Turn right at the four corners intersection
beyond Nelson Pond onto Chartier Hill Road and climb steeply
into open pasture land affording views back to the lakes and
the hills and forests beyond.
Take your first available left onto
Tebbets at a grassy triangle (4.7 miles) and continue to climb.
At the crest of the hill, you will be rewarded with some excellent
views of the countryside and encounter an unusual cultural
landscape feature; a large barn with an enclosed ramp which
bridges the road.
After crossing under the barn you
will descend sharply at first, and then more gradually back
to the Village of South Woodbury.
Turn left onto Foster Hill Road
and continue back to Route 14 and the Town Clerk's Office.
* Difficulty is based on a scale of 1 (Easy - Family Friendly) to 10 (Very Difficult - Experience is Advised).
We suggest reading the route description to figure out if this tour is right for you.
