North East Kingdom Driving Tour

Please be sure to read the complete notice before attempting to register.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE TAKE NOTE. This tour will be longer than usual, topping out at 143 miles over three hours in addition to two hours planned for lunch and rest stops. This is due to the necessity of putting together an itinerary that includes places to stop that can accommodate groups, while avoiding the many unmaintained dirt roads that traverse the Northeast Kingdom. In addition to safety, we will also work to prioritize the comfort of every participant. Good communication between vehicles will be maintained, and if anyone needs to stop and stretch or use facilities along the way, we will identify where this is possible and take breaks as a group. Before registering, please consider if you’re willing to dedicate most of the day to touring.

As noted above, registration is limited to a total of 15 cars given logistical considerations.

We will gather in the parking lot behind the Valero at 1711 N Main St. in Montgomery, VT starting at 10:00am. There will be a designated parking area for us behind the convenience store, along with a quiet green space and picnic tables where we can congregate. Clean restrooms will be available, along with coffee and snacks at the deli. Please consider making a small purchase to support the use of the facilities.

We ask that everyone arrive by 10:45am at the absolute latest to allow sufficient time for a check-in and driver’s meeting. Departure will be at 11:00am sharp as we’ll be coordinating an arrival time at our lunch stop. Seconds later, we and our engineering marvels from Stuttgart will – as is the expression – turn into pumpkins.

From Montgomery the tour will continue south on Route 118 past Belvedere Pond and rugged mountain vistas, where we will head north upon reaching Route 100 and proceed east on Route 58. Upon reaching I-91, we will have a short jaunt southward towards The Parker Pie Company in West Glover, where we will have lunch. Our estimated arrival time is 12:30pm.

Parker Pie started in the early 2000’s as a small pizza shop in the back of the Lake Parker Country Store, circa 1845. It is now a favorite eatery and pub for locals and visitors alike. We have the upstairs section of the bar reserved just for us, along with space to enjoy their outdoor area. We’ll park in an auxiliary lot adjacent to the ambulance station down the street. Despite the more private location, please note that the lot is unpaved gravel. We will exercise caution accordingly and be far from the main area to prevent the possibility of damage to our cars by other drivers. But there are otherwise no paved parking lots in the village, and parking on the side of the main road is not permitted.

After an approximately 1.5 hour lunch stop, we will continue northeast on Routes 16, 5A, and 105 until we reach 114, where we will continue until we reach Canaan. From there, we will follow Route 102 South through the Connecticut River Valley until making a short detour across the bridge to New Hampshire, where we will take a half-hour break to stretch and use the facilities at Colebrook Welcome Center on Route 3. From there we will continue down 102 to Bloomfield, connecting to Route 105 into Brighton, VT where we will say farewell in the large parking area in the center of town. We anticipate arrival around 4:30pm including planned and unplanned stops.

To register for the tour please click here or enter msreg.com/GMRJune-2023 in your browser. If you have any questions, please send a message to gmrpca@gmail.com.

Trip notes:

Food: We will place an advance order with Parker Pie upon leaving Montgomery. Please review their menu at https://www.parkerpie.com/menu and email your lunch choice(s) to gmrpca@gmail.com no later than Monday, June 19. The restaurant is well-prepared to accommodate allergies and other dietary needs.

Gas: The Valero in Montgomery sells non-ethanol, 91 octane premium. If you’re coming from I-89 and the west, the closest 93 octane available is at the Shell station on Main St. in Enosburg Falls. From the south, the closest option is the ExxonMobil at 33 VT-15 in Morristown. For other arrival routes, please contact us and we’ll direct you to other options should this be of concern to you. Drivers should arrive at our meeting point with full tanks as gas stations that sell premium in the NEK are few and far between.

If you have any questions, please send a message to gmrpca@gmail.com.