Trails: 30 km (18 miles) of trails are snow cat groomed for cross-country skiing, plus there are also some backcountry trails Trail fees: Adults & teens $16 (winter 2005/6) Tel: 802-843-2400 Snow report: Conditions are posted on their website Nearest town: Grafton, VT Web site:Old Tavern Trail map: Available at the center and on their website Equipment rentals: Yes Ski lessons: Lessons and tours Other winter activities: Ice skating, sleigh rides, snowshoeing (on 15 km of trails), sliding Facilities: Waxing room, cafeteria, warming hut Lodging on site: The Old Tavern inn has 35 rooms and 6 guest houses 1-800-843-1801 Lodging nearby: Chester has a few inns and other accommodation Location of trails: Take Exit 5 off I-91, then travel 12 miles northwest on Highway 121. Weather forecast:Grafton Tourism info:Chester Area Chamber Map of local region:Grafton
Name of XC Area: Grafton Ponds Times that I have skied there: Several times I last skied there in: Jan, 2006 Trails that I skied: Don't remember names, but you ski up, cut across, up, and down. My favorite trails: Trail marking: Very good Trail grooming: Very good Rating: 4.5 stars What I liked: Great workout trails; climbs and descents and flat trails for gliding. What I disliked: Because of lack of altitude, natural snow cover can sometimes be skimpy -- slalom some downhills. Pretty scenery -- good views of village from upper trails. Comments: Big plus is snowmaking; friendly staff. Inn and restaurant in the village are first-rate. Submitted by: HK from: Mass. Date submitted: Jan 3, 2006
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Name of XC Area: Grafton Ponds Times that I have skied there: Once I last skied there in: Feb, 2005 Trails that I skied: Big Bear, Little Bear, Chivers, and others ... My favorite trails: Big Bear Trail marking: Very good Trail grooming: Very good Rating: 4.5 stars What I liked: Although there wasn't much snow when I visited, the trail grooming was excellent. They use a huge snow cat for grooming. The trails are VERY wide with a two very well defined tracks on either side of a wide lane in the middle for skate style.
The wide trail is nice for negotiating turns on downhill runs.
There's a small log-cabin style warming hut at the top (of Big Bear). Found matches, paper, kindling and wood to build a fire in the wood stove inside the hut. If your crew is up to a little climbing, plan on reaching the warming hut at the top of Big Bear. Bring snacks, etc, maybe fire starter??? marshmallows, matches??? Maybe that'll keep them from whining about the climb :-) What I disliked: Comments: The ski center (lodge) is small, but has a warm rustic feeling with a wood stove and some benches for sitting. They don't serve food, but it's ok to bring your own and eat it in the lodge.
There's a place in Grafton, just a few minutes away, to buy sandwiches for lunch. Don't remember the name of the place, but it's advertised in the lodge and on the printed trail maps.
They have a hill for sliding (tubing), but you must use their rental tubes - can't use your own. I thought the rental price for the tubes was a bit high, given that there's no tow row to get you back to the top.
They've got an ice skating pond as well, but it was closed the day I visited due to a warm spell followed by a 6 inch snow fall.
Overall, a very nice day. Again, the best feature was very nicely groomed trails.
Submitted by: S.N. from: Date submitted: Feb 23, 2005
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Name of area: Grafton Ponds Times that I have skied there: Several times I last skied there in: Feb, 2002 Trails that I skied: My favorite trails: Trail marking: Very good Trail grooming: Very good Rating: 4 stars What I liked: good layout, nice scenery, not crowded,different challenges for different beginner-intermediate levels. What I disliked: sometimes, school teams practice in the trails making the trails less-friendly to the public. Comments: A best kept secret of VT. No rude crowds, just serious people wanting the best in x-ctry skiing Submitted by: AI from: White Plains NY Date submitted: Dec 13, 2002
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