When planning our first New England fall foliage road trip in October 2019, we had absolutely no idea where to stay in Stowe. It was the one place that stumped us because the attractions pinned to our map were spread for miles across Stowe’s town, Mountain Road and Smugglers Notch – and so were the hotels.
After doing a bit of research we decided to go right down the middle and stay at the Innsbruck Inn, half way up the Mountain Road between town and Mt Mansfield. It was a cheaper lodging option and the room was just okay, but breakfast was excellent and it gave us the perfect springboard to easily explore all three areas of Stowe.
Here we are enjoying a beer in The Alchemist
Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.
Why trust us with your Stowe plans? Across two trips in fall we’ve spent 6 days exploring every hike, waterfall, photo spot and brewery around Stowe – and we’ve stayed in two different areas so we know the area very well.
When we returned to Stowe in the fall of 2023 we decided to book a resort style condo with kitchen and laundry at Club Wyndham in Smugglers Notch. It worked because we wanted to hike more, and it was much cheaper than staying in town or on the Mountain Road (we only paid $271 for 2 nights over the weekend in peak fall foliage season). It was a long way from town but it worked well for what we needed.
Now let’s shift focus to you – the first thing you need to do is decide if you want to stay in town, on the Mountain Road or further up into the mountains around Smugglers Notch. The restaurants and breweries are in town and on the lower eastern end of the Mountain Road, whereas the waterfalls, hikes and outdoorsy activities are on the higher western end of the Mountain Road. There are excellent hotels spanning the budget range in each area, so our advice is to choose based on being close to amenities vs activities.
In this guide we explain everything you need to know about staying in each of Stowe’s three areas so you can choose the right location for your plans. Plus, we’ll show you the top rated hotels so you don’t have to waste time researching. Okay, let’s begin!
Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.
Area Map
We created this map so you can see what you’ll get in each area around Stowe
Map key:
- Orange – Stowe Town
- Red – Mountain Road
- Blue – Smugglers Notch
As you can see in the map we created above, Stowe’s three areas with hotels are actually spread out fairly significantly.
When we stayed in Smugglers Notch, it was almost 13 miles from the hotel to town (which took a good 25 minutes to drive). Whereas it was only 4.5 miles to town from the Innsbruck Inn, which is located in the cluster of hotels on the Mountain Road – but even that was still a 10 minute drive or a 2 hour walk on Stowe’s handy Rec Path (pedestrians and bikes only).
Stowe’s town gives you restaurants, breweries and shops – but then you’d have long drives every time to get to hikes, waterfalls and the region’s fun outdoor activities. So there’s definitely a trade-off to consider.
Next, we’ll explain each of those three areas to help you decide which fits your plans better, starting with Stowe’s quaint town center.
Staying In Stowe Town
This is our favorite photo so far from two trips to Stowe
The tiny town of Stowe is quaint, attractive and pedestrian friendly. We loved walking around the chocolatiers, Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, shops and galleries last time we visited.
We ate breakfast at the popular Butler’s Pantry, but it was so busy that we had to sit outside and it was freezing cold that morning. On our way up to Sunset Rock we grabbed a hot chocolate at Black Cap Bakery, before eating a lovely dinner at Doc Ponds. And we also stopped at Green Goddess Cafe for a sandwich on the way out of Stowe.
Oh, and the famous fall foliage calendar shot of Stowe’s white church is taken from Salon Salon, which is easy to reach by foot from town (our church photo above was featured in this Gestalten book).
So it’s walkable and has a few great food options, but is Stowe town a good place to stay? Honestly, it’s the last place out of the three we would book a hotel. We found town to be awfully busy, parking was a nightmare, and it was miles away from the hikes and outdoorsy activities.
But Stowe’s town could be the best place for you to stay if you want restaurants within walking distance, a buzzy atmosphere or you’re not planning to hike much.
Hotels In Town
We took this photo as we walked by the Green Mountain Inn in town
If you want to stay in the heart of Stowe town, the Green Mountain Inn is a massively popular choice – it’s a 3 star hotel with excellent ratings, an outdoor pool (heated in winter), on site dining, breakfast available and a primetime location.
Another excellent option is Stowe Village Inn, it’s a 3 star hotel set slightly above town and it has near perfect guest reviews. Next door is a highly rated restaurant called Grant’s and it’s just a short walk to other great eateries.
Heading slightly further up the Mountain Road but still within walking distance of town, you can stay at either Field Guide Lodge or Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge (both 3 star hotels and close to good food).
Finally, heading even further west and uphill you can stay at the cheaper Grey Fox Inn which is close to the popular Stowe Cider (Kristen’s favorite spot) and Bee Bakery but it’s not as walkable for town.
If we were to book a hotel in Stowe town next time, we’d go for either Green Mountain Inn or Stowe Village Inn. They’re the two standout hotels with higher ratings and better locations.
Here are our pros and cons to staying in Stowe town:
Pros
Excellent restaurants
Very walkable
Church photo access
Sunset Rock access
Stowe rec path access
Cons
Long drive to hikes
Breweries 1 hour walk
Staying Along Stowe Mountain Road
We quickly hopped out of the car to grab this photo of the narrow and twisting Mountain Road
The Mountain Road connects Stowe town to Mt Mansfield and Smugglers Notch. It’s all uphill from town to the mountain resort area, but we always enjoy the super scenic drive as it twists and turns up the mountain.
Popular breweries like The Alchemist (Mark’s favorite) and Idletyme are located 2.5 miles up the Mountain Road from town, along with the world famous Von Trapp Bierhall which is 3.5 miles from town and is accessed via Luce Hill Road. We’ve done all three several times and highly recommend them.
We like the cluster of hotels on the Mountain Road because this is where the style changes to Alpine themed (think Austrian Alps) and the crowds thin, so to us it feels more like a rural retreat in Vermont’s rolling hills.
Plus, hotels here are a quick drive from the awesome breweries and Edelweiss Mountain Deli which has amazing sandwiches, town for more extensive food and also the hikes up near Mount Mansfield.
So is Stowe Mountain Road a good place to stay? Yes, we like this area most because it strikes the perfect balance between being close to food, breweries and outdoor activities. Plus, it really does feel a bit like being in the Alps – a part of the world we love to visit.
Hotels On The Mountain Road
We took this photo of the Innsbruck Inn when we stayed there in 2019
For a true Alpine experience you can book either the Innsbruck Inn like we did, or its neighbor Northern Lights Lodge. They’re both affordable, have pools and hot tubs, and breakfast is included. But they are a little dated and the rooms aren’t anything special.
Von Trapp Family Lodge is located off the Mountain Road and it’s enormously popular thanks to The Sound of Music. We went to the bierhall and sat outside with a few beers which was lovely, but we didn’t stay at the lodge. Would we? Absolutely, but the prices were eye-watering in peak fall foliage season so we think a month like June would have better value for money. The food onsite is also extremely expensive, so factor that in if you decide to stay there.
Another great option that’s super close to Idletyme and The Alchemist is Sun and Ski Inn. It has suites for families and groups, as well as on site bowling, mini golf, pool and hot tub. We’d seriously consider staying in a 2 bedroom suite here if we went to Stowe with another couple.
For a romantic adults only B&B stay, we would happily book Stone Hill Inn – it has sky high ratings and one of those proper homemade breakfasts that really blows you away. We’ve done loads of these types of stays across the US and they’re always great for meeting like-minded travelers.
For a more Scandinavian feel, take a look at Talta Lodge. This place looks great with indoor pool and outdoor hot tub nestled up against a creek with Mt Mansfield views. Or if you’re looking to splurge, Topnotch Resort is a high-end New England style spa that has amenities to match the higher price point.
Here are our pros and cons to staying on Stowe Mountain Road:
Pros
Alpine themed hotels
Secluded, isolated feel
Half way between everything
Stowe rec path access
Cons
Not walkable
Drive for food
Very quiet at night
Staying In Smugglers Notch
Here we are hiking along the chin and nose of Mt Mansfield with far reaching views all around
Smugglers Notch is a narrow, steep and twisting mountain road that cuts through forest around half way between the towns of Stowe and Jeffersonville.
We’ve driven it at least 10 times because it’s so cool, we hiked to Sterling Pond at the summit, and we put our drone up to get an aerial photo of the road. It’s awesome, don’t miss it.
At the bottom end of the notch is Stowe Mountain Resort (the ski resort) and the high-end Lodge at Spruce Peak, as well as a gondola and auto toll road both leading up to different parts of Mount Mansfield.
We thought the gondola was overpriced (if you do the gondola, make sure you hike up the steep trail to Mt Mansfield summit to make it worthwhile), and the auto road surface quality was terrible but the hike from the top of the road to the mountain summit was easy.
After passing through the notch, it’s a 3 mile drive to the next sign of civilization at Smugglers Notch Resort which is a sprawling complex of accommodations. And that’s it, there’s nothing else around.
Okay, so is Smugglers Notch a good place to stay? The few hotels here work best if you want to spend your time in Stowe hiking, taking photos and generally being outdoors. But food options are scarce and town is much further away, so it might not be a great fit for your first time.
Hotels In Smugglers Notch
This was the living room and kitchen area of the condo we stayed in during our second trip in 2023
Let’s start with the luxurious Lodge at Spruce Peak, which is located at the bottom of the gondola for Mt Mansfield. It has excellent ratings and quality amenities, but it comes with a price tag to match its reputation. Personally, we’d be more tempted to stay there on a ski trip in winter for instant access to the slopes, but if you’re looking for the trendiest place to stay in Stowe, this is it.
The other area with lodging up in the mountains is the massive complex of apartments, condos, town homes and cabins at Smugglers Notch Resort. This place actually has the most amount of Google reviews of any hotel in Stowe – and we think it’s because the resort is family friendly, affordable, has multi-room accommodations with kitchens, and there’s tons of activities for kids of all ages.
We stayed in a Club Wyndham timeshare-style condo which was lovely – super comfy with living room, fireplace, outdoor pool and laundry. The Wyndham owned buildings are all in the same resort complex and have access to the same amenities as Smugglers Notch Resort.
Here are our pros and cons to staying in Smugglers Notch:
Pros
Close to hikes
Instant access to the Notch
Very outdoorsy
Not as touristy
Lots of kids activities
Cons
Long way from town
Food options are poor
Drive to get to anything
Where We’d Stay Next Time
Since our last trip to Stowe we’ve had our first daughter, so next time we’d definitely consider the Von Trapp Lodge for its rural setting or Sun and Ski Inn for its family rooms. But honestly, any of the hotels on the Mountain Road would also work for us if they had family rooms at reasonable rates.
If we stayed in town we’d go for the Green Mountain Inn or Stowe Village Inn, and if we stayed up in Smugglers Notch we’d do The Lodge at Spruce Peak in ski season.
Stowe Hotels Map
Click or touch the map below to activate, zoom in and out, and scroll around. If you’d like to see a bigger version, click the “view larger map” icon in the top right, and if you’d like to see any specific hotel, click the arrow and square icon in the top left.
Map key:
- Red – Stowe Town
- Blue – Mountain Road
- Purple – Smugglers Notch
There are a few more hotel options you can consider in Stowe, but the hotels we mentioned in this guide are the highest rated accommodations we can find within each area. We hope they help you get off to a good start with your hotel hunt!
Our Top Tips
We took this photo just before getting on the gondola up to Mt Mansfield
Speaking from experience after driving through New England in the fall for a total of 5 weeks and visiting tons of places, we can confidently say that Stowe’s hotel prices were among the highest we paid. We’d say Woodstock, VT and Bar Harbor, ME were more expensive but Stowe wasn’t far behind in third place.
Here’s a few quick tips we learned about booking accommodation that could save you a small fortune:
Avoid weekends – Hotel prices are significantly lower on weekdays compared to weekends in Stowe. We recommend booking your stay anytime between Sunday night to Friday morning.
Beat the rush – Book as far in advance as you possibly can to get more hotel room availability and lower rates. Last minute deals don’t work like they used to, and especially not in a place as popular as Stowe in peak seasons when hotel rooms book up earlier than usual.
Seasonality – Hotels here are way cheaper in the off season and shoulder seasons versus summer, the end of September and the first few weeks of October. We don’t like traveling in peak season, but we had no choice so we could do peak fall colors and we paid the price.
And finally, we travel for a living so take a look at our guide on how to book cheaper hotels for your trip to Stowe.
Next Steps
We hope our guide helps you figure out where to stay when you visit Stowe, but please let us know if you have any other questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans for New England?
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Vermont travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
Find our guide helpful? Pin it for later!
All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor