The great flood of 1927 wiped out many roads and bridges around Vermont. The reconstruction work that followed this disaster gave the state better, smoother roads and made driving hilly, sometimes mountainous byways, more comfortable and accessible by car.
As roads were paved, touring families loaded into their cars and viewed “the best foliage” on routes that appear in the Federal Writers Project's 1937 guidebook Vermont: A Guide to the Green Mountain State.
In southern Vermont, one “loop tour” from Brattleboro along Route 30 to the junction with Route 11 near Bromley Mountain in Peru, then east along 11 to Chester and then Springfield, to meet with Route 5 again, was the recommended trip through the region.
Our amended leaf tour runs from Brattleboro northwest along Route 30, following the West River through Williamsville Station, north to Newfane and Townsend, northeast to Athens, then Saxtons River, and south to Putney, and back to Brattleboro.
The tour includes surprising and unique small Vermont villages along winding, comfortable two-lane paved roads, and some well-maintained dirt roads. It will take about 2-3 hours to complete in a loop, with stops.
Along the road, rivers reflect the flaming hillsides, fields corralled by ancient stone walls provide perspective on brilliant maple and birch trees up a hillside or across a meadow, and weathered wood gates lean against posts, latched only with old baling wire.
Cows, horses and sheep browse or lie sleeping in the shade of a tree with an impossible combination of green and orange as raiment in the last rays of warmth for the year.
The creative nature of 21st-century Vermonters is evidenced along the loop by pottery studios, small restaurants providing home-style cooking and uniquely Vermont epicurean delights. You'll find bed and breakfasts and inns, along with many farmstands and greenhouses that sell late harvests and colorful mums. Tasting rooms for Vermont maple syrup liquor and a wine, as well as cheese factories, will delight the foodies.
You'll find plenty of places to let the kids run off steam beside riverbeds or on village greens, and they can see farm animals intermittently. If you don't want to take a picnic, plenty of restaurants offer a sit-down late breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The loop can, of course, start at any point and be followed in either direction.
The 2010 leaf tour
The West River is spanned by several picturesque bridges, including the second-longest covered bridge in the state.
At 267 feet, the 1872 West Dummerston covered bridge is the “longest covered bridge still open to traffic…wholly within Vermont,” according to the National Register of Historic Places.
Newfane is home to the majestic 1825 Windham County Courthouse, several war memorials and a lovely fountain that graces the green in front.
A stop at Dutton's Farm Stand for fresh-baked pies and bread - and fresh apples - should be penciled in. Rick's Tavern, across Route 30 from Dutton's, offers a quick lunch.
Townshend has been home to politicians, temperance and sufferage leaders and authors, as well as the setting for books and films nearby. It, too, has a lovely fountain and places to sit among the brilliant maples that dot the green.
The Townshend State Park has hiking and biking trails, as well as swimming and picnicking opportunities. Bald Mountain has a 1,600-foot elevation trail suitable for a family hike that includes waterfalls, chutes, and pools. Tent platforms are available for campers.
Lawrence's Smoke Shop in Harmonyville offers smoked ham and cheeses.
Take a right onto Route 35 in Townshend and through the notch east of Rattlesnake Mountain, heading toward Athens (pronounced “A-thens”).
Be sure to stop at the 1817 Athens Brick Meeting House on the left. It was the site for community worship and Town Meetings, as well as many militia training sessions, Old Home Day celebrations and fairs.
Just before the Meeting House road, Route 35 turns to a well-maintained dirt road for several miles before descending into Athens, where pavement begins again.
The forested drive into Athens reveals huge white pine amidst stone walls that tell of early Vermont sheep and cattle farmer fields, now grown into pine forests, uncut for almost half a century.
The winding cross-hill drive to Athens, then Cambridgeport, takes about a half hour; stop, then turn right onto Route 121. Just outside of Cambridgeport is a unique distillery, Sapling Vermont Liqueur. Call ahead for a tour of this all-Vermont distillate.
Traveling east about 10 minutes, one may stop at the Inn at Saxtons River to eat or stay overnight, or pick up deli food and homemade baked goods next door at the Saxtons River Village Market.
In the last leg of the loop, turn west back to the Saxtons River Historical Society Museum, formerly the Congregational Church, which overlooks the junction of Route 121 and Westminster Street, which becomes Westminster West Road.
This leg of the journey provides the most bucolic aspect of the loop, as one rises up the rolling slopes of Hartley Hill with fields edging the roadside, and down to Westminster West, where the Westminster West Church overlooks the tiny village.
Arrival in Putney, and Route 5, a distance of about 16 miles, will take about 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon your speed.
Colonial and Federal style architecture and some grand old homes are scattered along the road. Working farms, family homes and a horse farm give glimpses into sustained rural life.
Putney is home to hiking trails, and the annual hawk count atop Putney Mountain each September and early October, as well as the Medieval Faire at the Putney Central School.
You'll find restaurants, artisans' shops and retail stores, as well as the Putney Food Co-op and Basketville, also the home of Putney Mountain Winery's tasting room.
Try the Maple Pecan Pie at the Putney Diner on Main Street and Curtis' BBQ near the Interstate 91 interchange for chicken and ribs that have garnered national attention.
Take I-91 south if you're in a hurry; otherwise, follow Route 5 south to Brattleboro. Both highways follow the Connecticut River.
Cabins and camping are available at a KOA campground in Dummerston, where just next door, the Walker Farm provides Vermont-grown products.
Final notes
A four-mile spur to Grafton at Route 121 is not included in this tour, but many attractions await the inquisitive tourist there as well.
This route can be easily reversed, amended, or for the joy of adventure, abandoned completely.
Asking directions provides an opportunity to meet the local residents, and perhaps discover an off-the-beaten-path fall treasure. In a state where time seems to move a lot slower, taking the time has its own rewards.