Cheese Please: Exploring Vermont’s Cheese Trail

Vermont is famous for its rivers and ravines that unfold into broad expanses of dairylands blanketed in green grass. It’s the dairy farms that allow Vermont to produce another characteristic of its world-renowned reputation: cheese. To make a single pound of cheese, it takes ten whole gallons of milk; with the average person eating about 34 pounds of cheese per year, the United States needs (yes, needs) over 10 billion pounds of cheese annually. So you can bet that Vermont works diligently to maintain its sterling reputation as the creator of the world’s best cheddar cheese—and its most popular. With so much cheese to make and eat in such a beautiful landscape, it was only natural for Vermont to create the Vermont Cheese Trail. This 280-mile “trail” stretches to the Canadian border through Greensboro and Craftsbury where you’ll find several cheese trail locations along the way. The Vermont Cheese Trail hosts 43 of the state’s professional cheesemakers that expertly craft more than 150 artisanal varieties.

If you’re in the Northeast United States, you probably noticed Cabot at the dairy aisle of your local grocery store. From blocks of extra sharp cheddar (my personal favorite) to the container of Greek yogurt (great with granola and blueberries!), Cabot Creamery in Cabot has been making it all in countless types, flavors, and forms since 1919. Discover the process behind making the best cheese in the world from talented cheesemakers by visiting the Cabot Creamery Visitor Center just 20 minutes south of the Highland Lodge. Walk through the factory and enjoy samples of authentic cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter. The picturesque drive of the landscape alone will make it worth the trip. Check tour details at Cabot’s website. The guided tours are just $3.00.

North of Greensboro, travel to these four farms, with their addresses listed below, to continue your Cheese Trail journey: Bonnieview Farm, Shadagee Farm, Cate Hill Orchard, and Sweet Rowen Farmstead. These factory-farms offer cheesemaking tours by appointment as well as classes. Don’t forget to purchase your favorite cheese on-site before heading to the next spot.

To discover more about the Vermont Cheese Trail, visit the Vermont Cheese Council’s website for an interactive map of locations.

Bonnieview Farm

2228 S. Albany Rd.
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827
802.755.6878

Shadagee Farm

2420 Shadow Lake Rd.
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827
866.261.8595

Cate Hill Orchard

697 Shadow Lake Rd.
Craftsbury Common, VT 05829
802.586.2059

Sweet Rowen Farmstead

538 Lafont Road
West Glover, VT 05875
802.755.9960

Cabot Creamery Visitor Center

2878 Main Street
Cabot, VT 05647
802.563.3393