Vermont Route 100 Brewery Road Trip: Waitsfield to Morrisville (Map + Drive Times)

How Long Does the Route 100 Brewery Trip Take?

Door to door, Waitsfield to Morrisville on Route 100 covers roughly 38–40 miles. In practice, plan for 7–9 hours if you're hitting all five breweries, both waterfalls, and the cider mill at a relaxed pace — longer if you add the Smugglers’ Notch detour (see below) or linger over food at Idletyme or Von Trapp’s Bierhall. Waitsfield to Stowe is closer to 35–40 minutes without stops, not the 25–30 minutes some older guides cite; Stowe to Morrisville is another 20–25 minutes. Drive times shift with traffic and exact addresses, so double-check your own route in a maps app before you go.

Waitsfield: Lawson’s Finest Liquids

The southern anchor of this route is Waitsfield, home to Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Founded by Sean Lawson, the brewery built its reputation on Sip of Sunshine, a double IPA that has consistently scored well on beer-rating sites since its release.^[2][3]Worth knowing: Sip of Sunshine is brewed under an alternating-proprietorship arrangement at Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, Connecticut, rather than in Vermont — a fact Lawson’s has been openly transparent about since 2014, printing the brewing location directly on the can.^[4]The recipe, ingredients, and brand remain Lawson’s own. The Waitsfield taproom sits in the Mad River Valley and serves as a natural starting point before the drive north on Route 100 toward Stowe.

Stowe: Three Breweries, One Town

Stowe is the densest brewery stretch on this route, with three distinct stops within a few miles of each other. Between them, plan time for Moss Glen Falls and, if your schedule allows, the drive up toward Smugglers’ Notch.

Von Trapp Brewing

Von Trapp Brewing is operated by the von Trapp family — yes, the same family whose story inspired The Sound of Music^[5]— at the Trapp Family Lodge just outside downtown Stowe. Founded in 2010 by Johannes von Trapp, the brewery focuses on German and Austrian-style lagers; year-round offerings currently include a Helles golden lager, a Vienna-style amber lager, a Dunkel dark lager, a Bohemian-style pilsner, and a Kölsch. The Bierhall on site pairs the beer with an Alpine-inspired food menu and mountain views — reservations are recommended, especially during fall foliage, holidays, and ski season, though walk-ins are accepted.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist is best known for Heady Topper, the unfiltered double IPA that turned the small Waterbury brewpub John and Jen Kimmich opened in 2003 into one of the most talked-about breweries in the country. The Stowe location, which opened in 2016, is the brewery’s visitor center and includes a Beer Cafe with full pours on-site, cans to go, a seasonal outdoor beer garden, and brewery tours — it’s not a cans-only retail stop, as some older write-ups suggest. Tours require advance reservations and can be booked on the brewery’s tours page.^[6]Given the brewery’s popularity, arriving earlier in the day is worth planning for, especially on weekends and during fall foliage season.

Idletyme Brewing

Idletyme is a full-service restaurant and brewery in downtown Stowe, occupying the historic building that was home to the beloved Shed Restaurant & Brewery until it closed in 2011. It’s an independent operation — not, as it's sometimes described, a sister brewery to The Alchemist — though in 2021 Burlington-based Third Place (the group behind American Flatbread) took an ownership stake while keeping Idletyme’s management and brewing team in place.^[7]It’s the better bet on this route if you want a sit-down meal alongside your beer, with a lineup built around European styles — lagers, Bavarian weizens, and Belgian ales — plus the flagship Idletyme Double IPA.

Morrisville: Lost Nation Brewing

From Stowe, Route 100 continues north to Morrisville, where Lost Nation Brewing anchors the end of this itinerary. Co-founded by Allen Van Anda and James Griffith, the brewery is known for European-inspired styles — saisons, gose, session ales, and traditional lagers — a change of pace from the hop-forward IPAs earlier on the route.^[8] Griffith left the business in October 2022, and Van Anda has run it solo since, steering it through a rough stretch that saw it pause its own brewing and refocus on food and its taproom as a venue.^[10]The space itself is a straightforward, unpretentious spot that fits the brewery’s style-driven approach.

One planning note: the taproom is currently open Thursday through Sunday only (closed Monday through Wednesday), so don’t build this trip around a Monday or Tuesday finish — confirm same-day hours before you go.

Stops Along the Way

• Warren Falls— A swimming hole and waterfall just south of Waitsfield, a good stop before starting the brewery portion of the day.
• Moss Glen Falls— Located in Stowe, a short, well-known hike to a waterfall that fits naturally between the Stowe brewery stops.
• Smugglers’ Notch— The mountain pass on Route 108, connecting Stowe to the Jeffersonville side of the range. It’s a scenic detour off Route 100 rather than part of the direct route, and it's genuinely narrow and steep — not recommended for RVs or trailers, and legally off-limits to large trucks and combination vehicles. The pass is typically closed from mid-October through mid-May,^[9] with exact dates depending on weather each year — in the 2025/2026 season it closed in early November and didn’t reopen until mid-May — so check current status before routing through it.
• Cold Hollow Cider Mill— A working cider mill in Waterbury, on the way between Waitsfield and Stowe, worth a stop for cider donuts and fresh-pressed cider.

Good to Know Before You Go

• This is a driving itinerary, not a walkable crawl. Designate a driver, or plan overnight stays in Waitsfield or Stowe to split the route across two days.
• Stowe is the natural midpoint. With three breweries and two waterfalls in one town, consider basing an overnight stay there.
• Book ahead where you can.The Alchemist requires reservations for tours, and Von Trapp’s Bierhall recommends them during foliage, holidays, and ski season. Idletyme and Lost Nation are walk-in friendly.
• Check hours before you go.Brewery hours and tour availability change seasonally; confirm same-day hours on each brewery’s site, particularly for The Alchemist during peak fall foliage weekends when lines can be long.
• Cell service is spotty.Rural stretches of Route 100 and the Mad River Valley have limited or no signal — download offline maps before you set out.