Biking Vermont's Burlington Bikeway

Also known as the Island Line Trail, this 12 mile is mostly paved and mostly in good repair as it traverses the lakefront of Burlington, Vermont, passing through several shoreline parks and displaying spectacular views of Lake Champlain and New York's Adirondack Mountains across the lake...



Though the trail does hug the waterfront for a bit in Burlington, it leaves the lakefront for most of its middle section and you'll find homes on one or both sides of the trail, and in Colchester, you'll be routed through subdivisions to get to the unusual and fun Causeway Trail segment.

A few miles north of Burlington, you'll reach the Winooski River Bridge and the half-mile elevated boardwalk across the Delta Park floodplain which was the crucial link that united the Burlington Bikeway and Colchester Causeway rail-trails in 2004 after 15 years of planning.




The trail is mostly flat though it does climb to the bluff level to the north of Burlington, and the northern end features a unique and scenic trip out into the lake on a gravel 2.5 mile causeway that was constructed in 1900 atop huge marble boulders, giving you a sense of skimming the water's surface. The causeway ends abruptly out on the lake to allow boats to pass, but a seasonal bike ferry connects the trail with South Hero Island using a pontoon boat that ferries bikers across the short open section so they can continue their ride to the island. I suggest only mountain bikes and hybrids bike the causeway section due to the gravel trail surface.



The trail's official starting point is at the Oakledge Park trailhead on Flynn Street in southern Burlington (west of US Highway 7) which offers plenty of free parking and amenities. When you begin there, you do have a brief detour on city streets and then onto a narrow corridor alongside railroad tracks.

To reach the Oakledge Park trailhead in Burlington, take Interstate 89 to Exit 13 and follow I-189 south to US 7. Turn right on US Route 7 north, then left on Flynn Avenue. Follow Flynn to its end and look for signs to Oakledge Park.

To reach the Airport Park trailhead in Colchester, take Interstate 89 to Exit 17 (US Route 2). Follow signs for US Route 2/US 7/Lake Champlain Islands/Colchester. Turn right onto Theodore Roosevelt Hwy./Route 2. Continue for 3 miles before turning right on Bay Road, and then take another right onto West Lakeshore Drive. West Lakeshore becomes Holy Cross Road and then Colchester Point Road. Trail parking is on the right at Airport Park on Colchester Point Road.

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