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Stowe, Vermont |
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Dominated by Vermont's highest mountain, Stowe has a European feeling, as of an Austrian town amid emerald-green rolling hills, winding roads, and steep slopes. |
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In fact, the Trapp family of "Sound of Music" fame chose it as their American refuge. The mountain, Mount Mansfield (4,393 feet/1339 meters), is certainly no Matterhorn, but it and adjoining Spruce Peak and Madonna Mountain give the valley an alpine air. Not surprisingly, the lodges and inns around Stowe adopt alpine or Central European names. Perhaps it is the lushness (in summer) of the lawns, forests, and wildflowers, or perhaps it is the rain and mists—Lamoille County is said to have the greatest amount of precipitation in the state—which make everything so lush. Whatever, there is certainly an especially attractive air about Stowe. The frequent rain is not a liability, either, for local people learn to plan on it, and the earth scents after the rain are part of the pleasure of Stowe. And besides, it's all this precipitation which makes Stowe one of the best skiing areas in the East, with plenty of deep cover and a long season. Winter or summer, the narrow rocky mountain defile known as Smuggler's Notch is a dramatic place for a hike or a drive, and is just another one of those things that make Stowe special. Much of the territory around Stowe is part of Vermont's Mount Mansfield State Forest and Park, and for summer visitors that means hiking trails (especially the Long Trail from Massachusetts to Canada), camping areas, and picnicking. Winter visitors will want to note the Stowe and Spruce Peak ski areas. |
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 Panoramic view of Stowe VT, with the church in the bottom center, and ski slopes of Mt Mansfield at the top.
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