Congrats! You’ve found CowMoo’s Northeast Kingdom Winter Bucket List – perfect for families, couples & solo travelers of all ages.
Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is truly a winter playground. From snowy hillsides to smooth skating rinks, and plenty of backwoods trails to get lost in, your adventures are only limited to your imagination!
CowMoo crafted up a brr-illiant winter bucket list to get you thinking about the upcoming snowy season. We’ll be updating our list throughout the winter, so check back again for new suggestions. Have something to add? Reach out to us on social media #getNEKedVT.
Please remember that winter adventures are always weather dependent! Call ahead or refer to businesses’ website and social media channels for the latest information.
Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
Young Farms – Lyndonville (Eastern Trek)
The Young Family has been harvesting and selling fresh trees & wreaths for over 50 years. Cut your own Christmas tree, then go shopping in the Wreath Barn. Open Friday & Saturday 9am – 6pm and Sunday 9am – 5pm.
Asack & Son Tree Farm – Barton (Farm & Field)
Choose and cut any Christmas tree for $50 at Asack & Son Tree Farm, open daily 9am – 7pm through Christmas Eve. Pre-cut trees and homemade wreaths also available.
Moffatt’s Tree Farm – Craftsbury (Farm & Field)
Moffatt’s Tree Farm is open daily until Christmas Eve. Cut your own tree and have it wrapped up for safe delivery back home. Make a stop at The Genny just down the road for a locally-sourced lunch.
High Reach Farm – Danville (Farm & Field)
Visit High Reach Farm for an organic, sustainably grown Christmas tree. Open Saturday & Sunday 10am – 4pm. Stop by to cut your own tree and learn the fascinating planting method used on this farm.
Brochu’s Tree Farm – Hardwick (Farm & Field)
Shop choose and cut Christmas Trees and homemade wreaths and garland at Brochu’s Tree Farm. Make sure to stop by the heated barn for some hot cocoa and cookies and to see (and smell!) where their fresh balsam wreaths are made. Open weekends 9am – 5pm.
Breezy Hill Acres – Newport & Brownington (Mountain & Lake Getaway)
Breezy Hill Acres offers two locations to choose and cut trees, each offering amazing views off western Jay Peak and the southern bay of Lake Memphremagog. They also have a retail lot on Main Street in Newport. See website for hours of each location.
Take a Sleigh Ride Through the Snow
Rainbow’s Edge Farm – Sutton (Eastern Trek)
Enjoy a snowy daytime or moonlit ride through Hayden’s certified organic family dairy farm and surrounding acres of wooded trails. Meet their herd of certified organic cows, pat a calf and maybe even milk a cow.
The Kingdom’s Rides – Brownington Center (Mountain & Lake Getaway)
Enjoy a 40-minute open or private ride through rural Vermont, followed up with complimentary hot cocoa and snacks. If you want to stay longer, build your own homestead adventure.
For a different style of ride…
Vermont Dog Sled Ventures – Lyndon
Enjoy a moonlit ride on a dog sled with an experienced musher across Vermont Venture’s farm or another trail on the Northern VT trail system. Tour in daylight or maze through the trails while gazing upon the starlit sky. Meet the pack and learn how to harness and call mush commands to the huskies. This tour is for adults only.
Go Ice Skating on Rivers, Ponds & Rinks
St Johnsbury (Eastern Trek)
Enjoy two outdoor ice skating rinks: Four Seasons Park at the corner of Main and Winter Streets and Portland Street Park near the Concord Avenue intersection.
Lyndon (Eastern Trek)
The Fenton Chester Arena is a community ice rink and recreation center with public skate opportunities throughout the week. Sharpen your skates and take some laps around the ice.
Island Pond (Eastern Trek)
Lace up your skates and enjoy free ice skating in Island Pond. Forgot your skates? Free rentals available! Open to the public as weather permits. Refer to Brighton Recreation for more information.
Greensboro (Farm & Field)
Combat cabin fever with a visit to the Greensboro Community Skating Rink at Highland Center for the Arts. Opening January 1st, everyday dawn to dusk, until it melts. Please note, to preserve the ice, the rink will be closed in temperatures above freezing.
Hardwick (Farm & Field)
The Hardwick Recreation Committee opened a free public skating rink on Granite Street last winter and it was loved by all. Let’s hope they reopen this year. Check here for updates.
Newport (Mountain & Lake Getaway)
From December to March, locals and visitors flock to Gardner Park and the “Skate Shack” to enjoy beautiful ice rinks, free skate rentals, hot cocoa, and restrooms. The park features 3 separate ice surfaces connected by frozen skating paths. The contained hockey rink is open for casual stick and puck while the rec rink on the south end offers public skating.
Jay Peak (Mountain & Lake Getaway)
The Ice Haus Arena at Jay Peak is a full-fledged NHL-sized ice skating arena in the northern tip of the Northeast Kingdom! Guests can enjoy public skating and skate rentals or participate in a game of stick and puck. Check soon for 2022-23 schedule.
This is just a sampling of winter fun in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Keep exploring our website to find our other Winter Adventures – like Skiing, Hiking, Fat Biking, and Snowmobiling.