Area Highlights Vol. 2

Area Highlight: Colchester Pt. 1

Whether you would consider it our home or just our backyard, our love for this town should have you expecting a part 2 to this Area Highlight.  In this post, we discuss some great biking options close to the campground and local restaurants as well.

Biking the Colchester Bike Path:

Where to Bike
Don’t let the closing of the northern portion of the Island Line (pictured in the photo above) ruin your biking plans this summer, there are still more trails and places to bike right here in Colchester.  For starters, the Colchester Bike Path, which is located right next to us here at Lone Pine Campsites, will take you right into Mallets Bay and Bayside Park.  If you were looking to take a little break from your biking trip, this park is definitely worth a stop.  This park features: a beach, picnic area, playground, tennis courts, volley ball courts, a basketball court, a baseball field, and skate park.  After your visit at Bayside Park, you have two options: (1) Continue on road biking and eventually meet up with the Island Line Bike Path, the scenic southern half leads you right into Downtown Burlington (For This Route Click Here); or (2) adventure in the woods and try a bit of mountain biking.  While we would recommend both, it really depends on what you’re in the mood for.  If you want a more challenging ride through the rough terrain, while truly enjoying and taking in what the outdoors has to offer, then the choice for you would be to mountain bike on the trails located behind Colchester High School.  If you’re looking for an even greater challenge and wanting to add some variety to your exercise, then you can do hill sprints up Mother Hill (you’ll notice it to your left, once you get deep enough into the woods).  Meanwhile, the trip on and to the Island Line, offers some excellent views of Lake Champlain and also passes Airport Park; a place for exploration, or if you need to make a restroom stop.

What to Eat Along the Way
A couple of eateries for a variety of cravings:

• Said to have some of ”the best fresh cut french fries around,” Bri’s Fries located right by Bayside Park and is a great place to go if you’re looking for something filling and fried;
• New York Pizza Oven is a place to grab a quick slice of pizza, further down West Lakeshore Drive;
• In the plaza as NYPO, Bayside Bakery & Coffee Bar is a nice little dinner to get some good breakfast;
• And finally, there’s Rozzi’s Lakeshore Tavern. Whether you’re looking for a pub one night, or somewhere to get a filling dinner, Rozzi’s is the place to go for some good food and friendly staff.

Biking at the Sunny Hollow Natural Area:

Where to Bike
Located just 10 min (by car) from the campground, Sunny Hollow Natural Area is a good place to go if you’re looking to do a bit of nature walking or some pretty tough mountain biking.  Though there is very limited parking, Sunny Hollow Natural Area offers around 80 acres of diverse land including: mountain-side inclines; bridges over brooks; and a good outdoor option overall.  We recommend that you bring extra bug spray, and if you’re biking it’s a good idea to bring some glasses (it can get a little buggy out there).

Directions from Lone Pine

What to Eat Along the Way
If you don’t mind driving a little bit further (5 min away from the natural area), a great diner here in Colchester is called Libby’s Blue Line Diner.  Serving up some amazing breakfast, Libby’s might even appear on this week’s Lone Pine List, which will feature some of the staff’s favorite places to chow down.

As always, look out for our Area Highlight: Vol. 3 and Area Highlight: Colchester Village & “Milchester”

(Featured Image courtesy of Nicholas Erwin/Flickr; Island Line Photo by _Yoshi_/Flickr; Sunny Hollow Natural Area Waterfall photo from Colchester Parks & Recreation)