The Chipman Inn of Ripton, Vermont - Local Area and Activities

This is real Vermont at it's finest!

"Main Street" (Rt. 125) Ripton, Vermont

As innkeepers we pride ourselves on providing good advice on activities to suit our guests: possibilities range from strenuous mountain hiking to pastoral walks to historical sight-seeing to serious napping.

We are in Ripton, a small village in the Green Mountains and Robert Frost’s home of many years. The college town of Middlebury is 8 miles to the west and the main spine of the Green Mountains is 5 miles to the east. The Bread Loaf Campus of Middlebury College is a 5-minute drive to the east.

If hiking and walking are of interest, nearby trails allow you to have a leisurely stroll in the woods and along mountain streams or to climb to 4000 feet for spectacular views. We provide maps and advice to insure that you make the best of your outing. Walk to Lake Pleiad and have a swim and a picnic. Hike to the top of Mount Abraham and see one of the best vistas in Vermont. Stroll around Texas Falls or read Frost’s poetry posted along the Robert Frost Trail. A recent addition to our area is the network of "Spirit in Nature" trails, a complex of tranquil walking paths to strike a contemplative mood.

A gentle Vermont brook

Swimming and boating are available at nearby Lake Dunmore, where there are several places to rent canoes or motorized boats. Middlebury College’s 18-hole course is open to the public for those who wish to indulge in golfing.

In the winter months, both downhill and cross-country skiing are an option. Downhill skiing is available at Middlebury’s Snow Bowl, just 5 miles up the road. Even closer are the groomed and marked cross-country trails of the Reichert Ski Touring Center. Both are reasonably priced and have equipment rental. As we are surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest, there are plentiful marked but ungroomed trails available for cross-country skiers and showshoeing enthusiasts.