Kingdom Trails Mountain Biking Trails

Kingdom Trails is one of the most iconic mountain biking destinations in North America. Hosting more than 100,000 riders from all over the world every year, East Burke is regularly voted as one of the top, if not the top, mountain biking towns in the USA. With more than 100 miles of trails - from easy novice and family friendly rides to some of the most advanced technical trails anywhere - Kingdom Trails has something for everyone.

Most of the trails in the Kingdom are on private property that more than 90 land owners make available to the Kingdom Trail Association (KTA) for our enjoyment. Retaining the goodwill of the land owners is critical for the future of Kingdom Trails and, if you meet one of them on the trails or in town, please express your appreciation Also please treat the trails, the host community, and other trail users with kindness and respect, and stick to the (very few) rules. The most important rule is to ride in single file on public roads. Even better, avoid public roads in favor of the trails if you can!

While East Burke is the hub of the Kingdom Trails network, and the location of the Kingdom Trails Welcome Center, the trails actually span the town of Burke (of which the villages of East Burke, West Burke and Burke Hollow are sub divisions) and the neighboring towns of Lyndonville to the south and East Haven to the north.

In preparation for your visit, do a search for your targeted trails on YouTube. There are literally hundreds of videos on most of the trails. You can also, on Trailforks.com, have a look which trails are the most popular by selecting the “popularity” tab from the Trail Style drop-down menu at the top of the map on this page.

Kingdom Trails has several distinct ride areas.

The most popular and well-known area, and also the oldest, is Darling Hill which runs from north to south down the middle of Burke into Lyndonville, separating the East and West Burke village areas. Darling Hill itself is split into the Eastside and the Westside by Darling Hill Road which runs north-south down Darling Hill, with the hub at the Wildflower Inn and Village Sports Shop and Cafe-Trailside, almost at the highest point on Darling Hill.

Darling Hill is an easy ride from East Burke village - across the !bridge over the East Branch of the Passumpsic River - up on Uptown, onto either the Vast or up Herb’s to Sugarhouse Run, both of which eventually connect to Bill Magill. From the Vast you need to take one of the Connectors up to Bill Magill and then up to the Wild Flower Inn, the hub from where you can explore the Eastside and the Westside.

Darling Hill is host to many of the most famous trails in the Kingdom. On the Westside you will find trails such as Sidewinder, Bear Back and Old Webs in the south; The Three T’s - Tap & Die, Tody's Tour and Troll Stroll - Bemis and Burrington Bench in the central part; and Coronary Bypass, Fence Line, Poundcake and Pastore Point at its northern end. On the Eastside you will find trails such as Jaw, Ridge, Rim and Sugar Hill in the south, Bill Magill and Pines in the central part; and Kitchel, Herb’s and Uptown and Downtown at the northern end, closest to East Burke village.

The south end of Darling Hill’s Westside is a must visit area. Here you will find many awesome trails that all start from the Market Cafe area at the bottom of Old Web’s. Sidewinder, Bear Back, Piggy Back and Hog Back are all great downhill trails while West Bench is the best way to climb back up to the top. From the bottom of the Sidewinder gully, you can get back to The Wildflower Inn Area by following West Branch out to River Run, and from there up to Bemis on Fox Run or Burrington Bench. An alternative is to climb out via Hog Back and/or Piggy Back, and then to take Violet’s Outback or Meadow Wood back to Fox Run.

You can of course from the Market Cafe area also cross over to the Eastside of Darling Hill via the Vast and trails such as Jaw, Culvert Cut and Knob or East Branch.

To get to the White School area, go across the bridge over the East Branch of the Passumpsic River and up Uptown. When you get to the Vast, turn right, across East Darling Hill Road, onto White School, which you can follow all the way to White School Road in the north. Along the way you can connect to Ware’s Davis, Upper Pond Loop and Lower Pond Loop, as well as Skydive, Farmjunk and, further up, to Good ‘n You.

From White School you can turn right onto White School Road, across Vt-114, onto Smith Hill Road to the lower end of Moose Alley which comes down the northwest slope of Burke Mountain.

After a few hundred yards up Moose Alley, you can turn left on the new Flower Brook Trail, which will take you up to the new trails in East Haven.

Moose Alley, Moose Deuce, Trillium and Magill Fields are all at the top of Burke Mountain. The best way to get there is up Burnham Up, or via the public roads such as Pinkham Road and Mountain Road.

During peak riding season, and busy holiday weekends, Kingdom Trails organize shuttle services that operate from the center of East Burke village up to the top of Darling Hill, White School, and Burke Mountain, as well as up to East Haven.

Burke is a small rural New England town which has re-invented itself as a world-class mountain biking destination. With its three quaint villages, and the neighboring towns of Lyndonville and East Haven, Burke offers a wide variety of accommodation options, from rustic to luxury, as well as many and varied dining options, most of which are marked on this map. Arguably one of the most visited and famous landmarks in the Kingdom is Mike’s Tiki Bar down in the East Burke village, followed closely by Next Trick Brewing, a small craft brewery across in West Burke.

Kingdom Trails is managed by the Kingdom Trail Association (KTA), a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which was established in 1994 by a group of visionary residents and business leaders in the area. Their goal is to encourage recreational use of the Northeast Kingdom that is ecologically sensitive and promotes the natural beauty of the region.

For more information on KTA, the trails, the community, and hospitality options, please visit the Kingdom Trails Website at the link below.