Most people find the Mad River Valley in winter. They come for Sugarbush or Mad River Glen, fall in love with the place, and spend the rest of the year thinking about coming back. Some of them figure out that summer is worth the drive too. The ones who do tend to keep it to themselves.
The Valley runs about twelve miles through the Green Mountains between the villages of Waitsfield and Warren. In summer it gets warm, green, and quiet in the way Vermont does when it’s not ski season. The farmer’s market is running, the river is cold and clear, the trails are open, and the deck at Hyde Away is full most evenings. Here’s what to do with a few days here.
Get in the River
The Mad River flows north, which confuses people from away and delights everyone who lives here. In summer it’s the main event. Several good swimming holes sit within a few miles of the inn.
The Great Eddy Bridge swim hole in Waitsfield Village sits right next to Vermont’s oldest covered bridge. Rocky beach, deep pool, and on a hot afternoon, half the town. Lareau Farm, a few miles south on Route 100, is better for families — grassy banks, a good jumping ledge, and room to spread out. Warren Falls, further south near the village of Warren, is the most dramatic: multiple pools, cliff jumping, and the kind of cold that makes you gasp.
Clearwater Sports in Waitsfield rents tubes, kayaks, and paddleboards. The tubing run from the covered bridge takes about two hours and ends with someone coming to pick you up.
Walk or Ride the Mad River Path
The Mad River Path is a multi-use trail network that winds through farm fields and along the river, connecting Waitsfield and Warren. It’s mostly flat, well-marked, and genuinely beautiful. You can walk it, run it, or ride it on a bike.
The full route is around seven miles one way. Most people do a section and double back or arrange a car shuttle. Clearwater Sports and Stark Mountain Bike Works both rent bikes and can point you toward the sections worth prioritizing. The stretch along the river near Lareau Farm is the best.
Hit the Farmers Market on Saturday Morning
The Waitsfield Farmers Market runs every Saturday from late May through October, in the field behind the Mad River Green. It’s one of the better farmers markets in Vermont — local vegetables, cheese, maple, honey, bread, and usually a couple of prepared food vendors. Live music most weeks.
Go before 10am. Bring a bag. The cheese vendors sell out.
Hike Something
The Valley has access to serious trail mileage. The Long Trail crosses the ridge above the Valley at Appalachian Gap, about eight miles from the inn. Burnt Rock Mountain, accessed from the Hedgehog Hill trailhead, gives you one of the better summit views in the region for a moderate effort — about seven miles round trip with 2,000 feet of climbing.
For something shorter, the Mad River Path connects to several side trails with river views and minimal elevation gain.
Eat & Drink Well
In the villages: the Waitsfield Farmers Market is the obvious Saturday anchor. After a day on the river or the trail, the deck at Hyde Away is the obvious next stop — cold beer, the full dinner menu, and a view of the pond.
Mad River Distillers in Waitsfield makes small-batch spirits with Vermont grain and maple and offers tastings. The Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield is an independent cinema — good for a rainy evening.
And then there’s the deck at Hyde Away. We open at 4pm every night, serve the full menu until 10, and keep a rotating selection of Vermont craft beers on tap. On a warm summer evening with the pond out back and the mountains up the road, it’s a hard place to leave.
When to Come
Late June through August is peak summer. July and August get warm but rarely oppressive — highs in the 70s and 80s most days, cool at night. The farmers market runs from late May, and by Memorial Day weekend the Valley is fully open.
September is a hidden gem: the summer crowds are gone, the weather holds, the foliage hasn’t peaked yet, but the hills are starting to turn. If you’re flexible, September might be the best month of the year here.
Hyde Away Inn is open year-round. One of Vermont’s oldest historic ski lodges, the Hyde Away has been welcoming guests since Mad River Glen’s very first season in 1949. Book a room for a summer stay, or reserve a table. We’re at 1428 Mill Brook Road in Waitsfield — 1.9 miles from Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen and in the middle of all of it.
