Family Bike Adventure in Burlington, VT

Last summer, we were excited to spend a day biking from Burlington out to South Hero Island. We rented e-bikes from Skirack, including a Burley trailer for the kiddo (I realize now it was a pet trailer but worked well enough for our purposes for the day). It was our first time riding Specialized e-bikes and they were wonderful to ride.

We rode north on the Island Line Trail along Lake Champlain and then made our way to the Colchester Causeway – the narrow spit of land juts out into the lake. Zipping along with water on either side was such a joy. It looked a little like rides in my hometown in Gulf Coast Florida. 

A small gap in the causeway to allow for boats necessitates a quick jaunt on a bike ferry. There’s not a lot better than taking bikes on a boat, so we were all thrilled. The ferry is operated by nonprofit Local Motion, with donations helping to fund the service.

Once we made it onto the island, we rode through the quiet back roads and stopped for snacks and some play time at Allenholm Farm. We ate plenty of maple candy, Vermont cheese, and creemees.

The weather started to look a little threatening, so we booked it back as quickly as we could. We still think of a family with several older kids riding their own bikes – they were on a big adventure from Quebec and we were impressed with the kids’ tenacity riding through the storm. We pulled over on the way back at a park to regroup and wait for the rain to pass. That proved a bit futile, but the trailer provided some good cover for a napping toddler and we made it back to Skirack  in fine spirits.