Highlights
- Bike through Vermont’s gorgeous countryside
- Take a stand up paddle board lesson on Lake Champlain
- Volunteer with a local Vermont community group
- Celebrate in Montréal!
Trip Details
- Start: Wakefield, MA, USA
- End: Wakefield, MA, USA
- Age Range: 13 - 15
- Cost: $3,799
Dates
Jun 28 - Jul 9 (Available)
Jul 25 - Aug 5 (Available)
Photo Gallery
Trip Itinerary
Vermont. It really is as beautiful and green as you imagine it to be. Immerse yourself in Vermont’s deep green valleys, famous for covered bridges, cool streams, cow-dotted pastures, and charming small towns on this goal-oriented, summer bicycle touring trip for teens. Along the way you’ll stand up paddle board on Lake Champlain and volunteer on a local community service project. Together as a team you’ll make your way north, cross the Canadian border, and reach your final destination, Montréal. A fun contrast to rural Vermont, Montréal is a lively, cosmopolitan city that offers the perfect international setting to celebrate your many amazing accomplishments.
Cycling Rural Vermont & Community Service
We’ll start our trip in the charming village of Poultney, where we’ll get to know each other and begin to learn the ins and outs of bicycle touring. With Lake Champlain as our first goal, we’ll begin our northward ride through lush valleys, rolling hills, and picture-perfect villages, camping on the shores of serene Vermont State Park lakes along the way. Reaching the exciting city of Burlington, we’ll trade our bikes for work gloves and spend the afternoon lending a helping hand cleaning and maintaining the Island Line Bike Trail or volunteering at a local community farm.
Stand Up Paddle Boarding Lake Champlain & Exploring Burlington
Waking up on the shores of Lake Champlain, we’ll kick-off our rest day on stand up paddle boards as we explore the lake’s gorgeous coves and bays with professional guides. Afterwards, we’ll walk Burlington’s streets and maybe even pay a visit to the flagship Ben & Jerry’s. Feeling well-rested, we’ll continue our bike touring journey north along Lake Champlain via the gorgeous causeway and iconic bike ferry.
Riding the Route Verte & Celebrating in Montréal
After making our way through Grand Isle State Park, we’ll reach our next big milestone: the Canadian border! Bicycling across it and into Canada’s rural heartland, we’ll pick up the Route Verte (the “Green Road”). Riding our bikes along this world-famous cycling path, we will pass through fertile farm fields, over the St. Lawrence River and into historic, French-speaking Montréal. Feeling fantastic about reaching our final goal, we’ll spend two nights and a full day exploring this dynamic city. A French feast and warm “adieus” will round out our time together in Montréal.
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Please see our General FAQ page for many more frequently asked questions and answers!
How physically challenging is Vermont to Montréal?
Given a rating of Challenge Level 4 (out of a maximum of 10), we consider Vermont to Montréal (VM) to be a beginner cycle-touring trip that any moderately fit, motivated student can successfully complete with some prior preparation. Compared to similar biking trips, we believe that Vermont to Montréal is our easiest biking trip, and our Pacific Coast trip is slightly more challenging. Please note that all of Apogee’s Challenge Levels are not scientific and are subjectively calculated by the Apogee staff.
Where will my child be sleeping on this trip?
Our Vermont to Montréal groups will be camping in Vermont State Parks and established private campgrounds every night of the trip. Leaders will separate students by gender into tent groups, and participants will share a tent with two or three other students.
What does a typical day on Vermont to Montréal look like?
The wonderful thing about our programs is that every day is different and exciting, so no two days will be exactly the same. That said, the general layout of a day on Vermont to Montréal starts with a morning activity (usually from about 8:30 AM until lunchtime), then an afternoon activity (after lunch until about 4 PM). The morning and afternoon activity may be the same (e.g., biking through the morning, eating lunch at a picnic area along the route, then completing the rest of the day’s ride to the group’s next campground in the afternoon), or, on some days, they will be different (e.g., SUPing in the morning and community service in the afternoon). After the afternoon activity, the group settles in at their campground, prepares dinner, and plays some evening games before the evening “Apogees and Perigees” circle that wraps up each Apogee day. For more detailed information on the day-to-day schedule of this trip, please contact us.
What is the maximum number of students I can expect on my child’s Apogee trip?
There are never more than twelve students on an individual session of this trip. Additionally, we limit enrollment by gender to two-thirds/one-third. Groups are always led by two of our excellent trip leaders.
How will I communicate with my child while they are on this trip?
We are a technology-free program, meaning that your child won’t have access to their phone or other electronics over the course of their trip. That said, students will get a chance to call home on their trip leaders’ phones once over the course of the trip (usually around the midpoint of the trip). We also have one email stop on our Vermont to Montréal program; parents, relatives, and friends are welcome to use this to send messages to our office, which will be forwarded along to the group on a designated “email day.” If you have an urgent message to get to your child, please call our office and we’ll work to get you connected with your child.
My child will be flying to this trip start. How will they connect with their leaders?
Please note that Apogee staff members do not travel with students; our trip leaders will already be in Wakefield (Boston) on arrival day and will stay at our headquarters in Maine after the trip ends. We will ask you to share your child’s detailed flight itinerary with us prior to the trip so that Apogee staff can be fully prepared to be at the airport to greet them on arrival. Once students are with their leaders, they will call home to let their parents know they have arrived and are with their group. Please see our blog post for specifics regarding students traveling using an airline’s Unaccompanied Minor escort service. Further, we encourage you to coordinate travel with other attendees; we’re happy to put you in touch with other enrolled families from your region. We will provide enrolled families with a Travel Information document covering details specific to traveling to and from Boston, including airport information and arrival and departure time windows. Please contact Apogee with any specific questions or concerns regarding drop-offs and/or pick-ups.
What does the community service portion of this trip entail?
The specifics of our community service projects and the number of hours we volunteer varies slightly from year-to-year. In the past, we have worked with Intervale Center in Burlington, Vermont helping to harvest, weed, and plant crops on a community farm. Students can expect 2-4 hours of community service work over the course of our trip, usually in a single day.
Is this trip vehicle-supported?
Yes. While all of our bike trips are self-supported – meaning that students and their leaders will carry their clothing, camping gear, etc. on their bikes – Apogee maintains a dedicated support staff member and vehicle on our Vermont to Montréal trip to provide assistance in the event of medical or mechanical exigency.
Does my child need to bring their own bike for this trip?
No – we offer rental bikes for an additional fee of $275 as well as rental waterproof panniers for $60. If your child already has a bike that is appropriate for this trip, they are welcome to bring it. Please call our office with any questions regarding the suitability of your child’s bike for this trip.
My child is new to cycle touring and has never ridden with loaded panniers. Could my child participate without previous experience?
Absolutely. Apogee’s trips are designed around the concept of “achievable challenge” – anyone who has a desire to challenge themselves and possesses a moderate level of physical fitness is already well-prepared. Trip leaders will teach students safe riding practices and will set a reasonable pace that allows the group to complete the day’s riding in a timely manner and is comfortable for all riders. Upon your child’s enrollment, we will send you a suggested training schedule that we highly recommend your child completes prior to their trip. Training beforehand (especially with panniers and weight) will directly contribute to good risk management and your child’s physical comfort.
Aside from the trip cost, what are the additional expenses for this trip?
Apogee’s tuition costs are meant to be all-inclusive and include all meals, accommodation, and activity fees. The most significant additional expenses on our Vermont to Montréal trip will include travel to and from Wakefield/Boston, MA, a sleeping bag and sleeping pad, a bike helmet, and touring bike and panniers (rentals are available, see above), and personal gear. We suggest that you review the packing list (downloadable on this webpage) to determine what personal gear you already own and what you might need to acquire for this program. Please also check out our Gear Recommendations blog post for links to our personal recommendations.
