RV travel in Vermont
Vermont is the most rural state in New England and the prettiest in foliage season -- which is also when every RV in the Northeast tries to be here at the same time. The Green Mountain National Forest allows free dispersed camping along its forest roads, the state-park system is well-run, and the back-roads are genuinely scenic. The catch is the back-roads themselves: dozens of historic covered bridges with 8-12 ft clearances, single-lane dirt roads marked the same as paved state highways on consumer maps, and grade descents into river valleys that punish marginal brakes. Stick to US-7, US-2, I-89, and I-91, plan foliage bookings 6-12 months out, and Vermont is one of the most rewarding small states in the country for an RV.
Last verified: 14 May 2026
Free RV PDF guide to Vermont
Driving rules, RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways, NPS reservation rules, BLM and NF boondocking, propane, dump stations, weather, and emergency contacts. Save it to your phone for offline use on the road.
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Driving rules
Interstate (cars)65 mph (most rural segments)
Interstate (trucks + towing)Matches posted (no separate trailer limit)
US/State highway (cars + towing)50 mph default; 35-45 mph on most secondary routes
Built-up areas25-35 mph (posted; many villages 25 mph)
Drive onRight
SeatbeltsRequired for all front-seat occupants and all under-18
Cell phone use while drivingHands-free only; texting + all hand-held use prohibited
RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways
RV-friendly
I-89White River Junction to Burlington and the Canadian border. Main north-south interstate; smooth four-lane through the Champlain Valley.
I-91Brattleboro to Newport (Canadian border). Eastern spine of the state; rural and quiet.
US-7Bennington to Burlington via Manchester, Rutland, and Middlebury. The Champlain Valley's main two-lane. Easy big-rig route; busy in foliage season.
US-2Burlington to St Johnsbury cross-state. Four-lane around Montpelier, two-lane elsewhere. Snow common Nov-Apr.
US-4Rutland to White River Junction. Two-lane with the Killington-area pass; manageable for most rigs in dry weather.
VT-100Stamford to Newport, the spine of the Green Mountains. Two-lane, scenic, slower -- but the iconic Vermont drive. Foliage-season traffic crawls.
RV-restricted
Smugglers Notch (VT-108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville)Closed to trailers, large trucks, and RVs over 36 ft year-round. The road is physically blocked at boulders the state placed to enforce this. Do not believe your GPS.
Lincoln Gap Road (Lincoln to Warren)Closed Nov-May. Steepest paved road in Vermont; 24% grade sections. Not for any RV, ever.
Brandon Gap (VT-73)Manageable but tight. 8% grades both sides. Avoid in winter.
Most covered bridges (50+ across the state)Clearances from 8'0" to 11'6". Vermont posts clearances aggressively but consumer GPS rarely does. Check posted clearance before approaching.
VT-9 west of Brattleboro (Hogback Mountain)Tight switchbacks and a 9% grade descending to Wilmington. Manageable for most RVs but use low gear.
Most unpaved town highwaysVermont has more dirt road than paved road. Roads marked as "VT-Xtown" or with no class designation may be unmaintained, single-lane, and dead-end. Stick to numbered routes (I-, US-, VT-).
National parks and monuments
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHSFree entry (mansion tour $10). Woodstock, VT. Day-use only, no camping. Small lot near village green; tow-car parking fine, RVs use Billings Farm next door.
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (corridor)Free. Trail crosses Vermont via the Long Trail south of US-4 and along its own corridor north. Trailhead parking only; no RV camping on the corridor.
Boondocking and dispersed camping
BLM: No BLM land in Vermont. Public-land boondocking is concentrated in the Green Mountain National Forest.
National Forests: Green Mountain National Forest (400,000+ acres in two units, north and south) permits free dispersed camping along most forest roads, 200 ft from any road, water, or trail. Popular areas: FR 71 (Texas Falls area), FR 21 (Mt Tabor area), and the Somerset Reservoir loop. Most forest roads are unpaved -- check your clearance and rig size before committing. Stay limit 14 days, then move 5 miles.
Stay limit: typically 14 days per location.
Service stops
Propane: Reasonable coverage in Burlington, Rutland, Brattleboro, and St Johnsbury. Sparse in the Northeast Kingdom (Newport, Island Pond, Canaan) -- top up before heading there. Most KOA and Good Sam parks fill on-site. U-Haul locations in Burlington, Rutland, and Brattleboro are reliable for refills.
Dump stations: Reasonable coverage in the Champlain Valley and along I-89/I-91. Most VT State Parks with camping offer free dump stations for registered guests. Truck stops at Williston (I-89), Berlin (Montpelier exit), and White River Junction have fee dump stations ($10-15). Sparse in the Northeast Kingdom.
Fuel: Diesel and gas widely available along all interstates, US-7, and US-2. Genuinely sparse on VT-100 between Stowe and Newport, on the back roads of the Northeast Kingdom, and in the Green Mountain NF interior. Carry an extra 5 gallons for the back roads. Fuel prices typically lowest in the Champlain Valley (Burlington area) and highest in foliage-season tourist towns (Stowe, Woodstock, Manchester).
Weather windows
Best monthsLate June through mid-October. Daytime highs 70-85 F valleys, 60-75 F in the mountains. Foliage peaks the last week of September through the first week of October -- book 6-12 months ahead for that window.
Avoid monthsMid-November through mid-April. Most state-park campgrounds close. Snow common; nighttime lows in the single digits or below zero. Mud season (April through early May) can close back roads, forest roads, and many town highways. Black-fly season (late May to mid-June) is brutal in the Green Mountains.
Vermont's foliage week books out faster than any other RV destination in the East. State-park reservations open 11 months ahead at 8 am sharp; private parks open 12 months ahead. Be ready the morning the window opens.
Emergency and road conditions
State patrolDial 911 for emergencies; (802) 244-7345 for non-emergency state police dispatch