Rutland County (and all of Vermont) truly is a year-round destination site and there are countless fun and exciting activities you can take part in at any time of year. Given our world-famous Killington Ski Resort, it really goes without saying that skiing and snowboarding are some of our best winter activities, but we’re here to share our top 5 winter activities in Rutland County – in addition to skiing and snowboarding!

Tubing

Sometimes when we think of tubing, we only think of river tubing or floating in the lake/pool in the summertime. Luckily, you can grab your tube in the winter and have just as much fun sliding down our Green Mountains. We certainly recommend starting on a clear hill (no trees!) that isn’t too steep – you can catch some speed with the right kind of snow!

Ice-Skating

Giorgetti Athletic Complex and The Spartan Arena (home of our Castleton University Spartans!) are both indoor skating rinks located in Rutland County that offer skate rentals as a fun way to easily join in on the ice-skating fun. You will also see skating rinks pop up in some of our surrounding towns for some community-wide fun. While not always the best conductions, you will be sure to see a few ice-skaters out on one of our various bodies of water when the lakes, ponds, and reservoirs freeze over and it’s safe to venture out. To learn more about ice safety, visit the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Speaking of ice, we can’t forget about ice fishing! Rutland County has several bodies of water to choose from for some ice fishing adventures.

Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling our Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) trails in Vermont can bring an intense rush, and having enough snow to venture out on the trails brings some great joy to Vermonters. Learn more about snowmobiling in Vermont from one of our recent blogs during International Snowmobile Safety Week.

Fat Biking

Fat Biking

Mountain biking isn’t just for our warmer months! Fat biking allows for off-road bicycle ventures and is very popular within Rutland County for our winter months. While there are many trails to explore when fat biking, Pine Hill Park in Rutland City offers some of the best trail conditions for the entire family.

Hiking

Hiking in Vermont is typically most popular when our leaves are bursting with color during our fall months. However, hiking during the winter is often a hidden treasure in Rutland County and often not taken full advantage of. The mountain views are spectacular when they are covered with glistening snow. We highly recommend not venturing out in our extreme cold conditions and always encourage purchasing a pair of YakTrax, so you don’t slip on the ice.

There certainly aren’t any voids when looking for activities in the winter months in Rutland County. For most of us locals, we love to be outside regardless of the time of year, but if you find yourself looking for a fun activity that you can warm up with, we have those too. For example, grabbing a yummy hot chocolate from Speakeasy Café and looking over downtown from their windows. What we mean to say is, there is something for everyone all year long.

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