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Urban Adventures: New England's Cities

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(page 3 of 3)

Starting here, the gravel trail follows the shoreline of the lake. At the five-mile mark, you'll venture through the first of three short tunnels, the path becoming more secluded as you make your way toward Onway Lake. Pass through a narrow granite corridor and then another tunnel before arriving at the town of Raymond, the halfway point. This is a good place to have a snack before continuing onward or turning back.

On the second half of the trail, you'll cross a long, old railroad bridge and soon be traveling along the Lamprey River. The last two miles to Newfields is a peaceful jaunt through meadows and woods before the path ends at an abandoned rail depot.

Burlington, VT: Sailing

Good winds, sheltered bays, hundreds of islands, and scenic anchorages combine to make 120-mile-long Lake Champlain one of the top cruising grounds in the East. Find a boat, with or without a captain, on the docks of Burlington. Winds of Ireland (800-458-9301, 802-863-5090; windsofireland.net) charters 30- to 40-foot Hunters by the day or week. Rates start at $300 per half day, with an extra $25 per hour for a captain.

Once you set sail, head south along the Vermont shore. Cormorants fly overhead as you cruise past the luxurious houses of South Cove, Shelburne Point, and Shelburne Bay. At the Lake Champlain Yacht Club, hundreds of sailboats are docked, tall masts gently bobbing and swaying from side to side. Past the fertile fields of Shelburne Farms, head west across the heart of the lake, where it's hard not to become mesmerized by the backbone of the Adirondack Mountains, beckoning from the New York side of Champlain. The lake is so vast that even on a busy weekend day, the waters never feel crowded.