Quechee - Coolidge Scenic Drive

We recently bought Insiders' Guide's Scenic Driving New England where they feature the best scenic drives in and around New England. We decided to embark on Quechee-Coolidge Scenic Drive in chapter 10. It is a 61 mile open loop that passes through picturesque villages and hilly countryside in the Piedmont of central Vermont. We did not go the full 61 miles..but we did at least 70% of it.

We passed through some of Vermont's finest landscapes. The drive offered a good look at rural Vermont and its sleepy country villages, Quechee Gorge, aristocratic and well preserved Woodstock, birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge (30th President of the United States) and found a lovely B&B/Inn to stay for 2 nights in resort town Killington.

Killington is home to Killington Peak towers with 4,235-foot summit wreathed in clouds. The peak, the second highest in Vermont offers a superb view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. It was this view that supposedly gave Vermont its name - Reverend Samuel Peters from Connecticut surveyed the surrounding countryside below Killington Peak in 1763 and called it "Verd Mont", or "Green Mountain" in French. We did not climb to the peak to witness the spectacular view but we enjoyed the scenic beauty just as much as we drove around the foot of the hills. Here are some of the many lovely pictures we managed to capture as we tried to do the best of Vermont justice.

Distance: 175 miles Time: 3hrs 30mins