SWITCHBACKMOTO
Get the app
The Atlas/Vermont/Smugglers Notch Summit — VT-108

Smugglers Notch Summit — VT-108

The high point of Vermont Route 108 through Smugglers Notch is one of the most dramatic mountain-pass experiences in New England. At roughly 1,750 feet the road narrows to a single lane squeezed between towering cliff faces on Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, with boulders the size of houses tumbled across the roadside. A small pull-off near the summit allows riders to stop, walk among the glacially deposited rocks, and look up at the sheer walls overhead. The pass connects Stowe to Jeffersonville and is closed to vehicles from late fall through late spring — check VTrans seasonal closure notices before riding. No commercial traffic is permitted; motorcycles, cars, and bicycles only.

Vermont
Region
Viewpoint
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas
// Why riders stop

VT-108 through the notch is on every Vermont motorcycle bucket list — extremely tight hairpin turns, near-zero visibility on bends, towering cliff walls, and a single-lane summit corridor. The drama is the entire point. Hit it early morning on a weekday to avoid tourist traffic. The road itself is the attraction; the stop at the top is the punctuation.

// Rider photos

Shot by the riders who've run it.

Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.

0 rider submissions
Sign in to add a photoUpload & tag from your profile
// Nearby & related
StopVermont
American Flatbread at Lareau Farm
Vermont
American Flatbread occupies the original farmhouse at Lareau Farm, a 25-acre property on the west side of Route 100 in Waitsfield, Vermont, just south of Waitsfield Village and north of the Mad River crossing. Open Thursday through Sunday evenings, the restaurant bakes thin-crust wood-fired flatbreads (pizza) using local Vermont ingredients in a hand-built outdoor earthen oven. The farm setting — river meadows, gardens, and the 19th-century farmhouse — makes it one of the most atmospheric dining stops on the VT-100 corridor. The restaurant has occupied this location since 1991 and is consistently cited among the best food stops in the Mad River Valley.
StopVermont
Appalachian Gap Summit — VT-17
Vermont
The Appalachian Gap ("App Gap") is the highest paved mountain pass road in Vermont, cresting at 2,369 feet on Route 17 in Buels Gore. The summit parking area sits just west of the crest and gives immediate access to sweeping views of the Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack Mountains of New York on clear days. The Long Trail crosses here, and a short walk north or south yields even wider panoramas. The eastern approach from Waitsfield climbs through dense hardwood forest with sustained 15% grades and tight switchbacks — generally considered one of the finest motorcycle roads in the state. Open seasonally; check conditions in shoulder season.
StopVermont
Creemee Stand — Wilmington
Vermont
The Creemee Stand is a seasonal roadside soft-serve custard shack at 716 Route 100 North in Wilmington, Vermont, on the southern stretch of the VT-100 corridor near the junction with Route 9. Serving since the 1970s, it is one of the most cited creemee destinations in southern Vermont — the Signature Vermont Maple Creemee is made with locally produced maple syrup. Ice cream is sourced from Wilcox Dairy, the oldest ice cream manufacturer in Vermont. Open daily noon–9 PM during the May–October season. The stand sits in a wide gravel pull-off with easy motorcycle parking directly off Route 100.