What it was like in Stowe, Vermont during peak foliage this fall season

A gondola ride, a brewery, a sugar house, and more rounded out our day in Stowe.

My mission: experience peak foliage during a day in Stowe, Vermont.

Nestled at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest summit, Stowe is known as a leaf peeping utopia and tops best-of lists for foliage year after year.

So mission accomplished, obviously. But I definitely learned some things along the way.

For example, I learned that lines for viewing foliage can rival that of Disney World’s Space Mountain. I learned that you should always, always follow a handmade sign pointing to a sugar house. And I learned that Vermonters have a superpower this time of year: they take massive crowds in stride.

“Stowe is very iconic with autumn, with fall, and we welcome visitors here,” said John “Sticky” Shannon, owner of Sticky’s Maple Works in nearby Elmore, Vermont, who has been making syrup since 1973. “We love people to be here, taking photographs, enjoying all the good food and drink that is here. And visiting sugar houses.”

Here’s how my family tackled a day in Stowe, including a ridiculously scenic gondola ride, lunch at 3,625 feet, a waterfall hike, a Heady Topper pour, and more.

Foliage and lines, oh my.

After an excellent coffee and delicious pastry from Black Cap Coffee & Bakery in Waterbury during a gorgeous, colorful drive past farms and historic homes on the legendary Route 100, we arrived in Stowe. We wistfully passed Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury Factory, but reasoned there’s only so much we can do in a day. We were staying in Burlington, about 45 minutes away, because availability in Stowe was nearly nonexistent by the time we booked. And we enjoy Burlington.

Traffic slowed once we reached Stowe. The congestion was real. Folks stopped their cars along the side of Mountain Road for foliage photos, some getting out. My husband parked in the Stowe Mountain Resort lot for the Gondola Skyride without issue and our two teenage kids followed us up a path to the gondola boarding area. That’s when we stopped, speechless at the scene before us. It was 11:30 a.m., half an hour after the gondola opened, and hundreds of people were already lined up for the ride.

The line snaked inside the loading building before spilling out and stretching up an open field. A worker told us the lines are only like this during peak season. My first thought was: this is the only thing we’re doing today. My kids groaned. Fortunately for us, we’ve become proficient in teenage groaning and instructed them to take their place at the end of the line.

The temperature was 46 degrees at the base and 34 degrees at the top with the wind chill, according to a sign. But it was a sunny day and the mountain shone with an almost ethereal beauty. As I walked the length of the line, I got a sense that people didn’t seem too bothered by the wait. As with Disney World lines, I supposed, the anticipation of doing something extraordinary softens any inconvenience.

Domenic Benedetti, 41, from Buffalo, N.Y. stood in line with wife Danielle Benedetti, 34, and kids Gabby, 2, and Vinny, 8 months. The Benedettis got engaged in Stowe seven years ago and were celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary.

“The fall foliage is beautiful,” said Danielle, who said she didn’t mind the wait.

Toward the back of the line stood Susan Stone from Florida and Michelle Martin from Los Angeles, 62 year-old best friends since the fourth grade. The women, in town for a Stowe wedding, were enjoying their first trip to Vermont and killing time before the 5 p.m. ceremony.

“I feel like it’s a little long,” said Martin about the line. “But it’s moving pretty quickly.”

The line did move quickly, all things considered. It took an hour for us to board and the workers were patient and kind. After that, it was 10 foliage-filled minutes to the top, past trees bursting with red, orange, and yellow color. The price was as steep as the ride — $40 a head — but the panoramic view of Vermont at its finest was absolutely breathtaking. Even the teenagers were in awe, quietly snapping pictures.

Once guests arrive at 3,625 feet, their mountainside choices for exploration include the Cliff House restaurant, a gift shop, The Waffle snack bar (with hot Belgium waffles that received two thumbs up from my kids), and an observation deck and picnic table area. Expert hikers can also tackle the Cliff Trail, an opportunity to summit Mount Mansfield without hiking from the base. Many groups braced themselves against the wind and roamed the grounds with cameras and selfie sticks before hopping back in (a much shorter) line for the return trip. Inside the bustling Cliff House, diners relaxed beside floor-to-ceiling windows.

We were going to eat lunch in town, but were so captivated by the view that we joined the line of hopeful diners spilling out the door of the restaurant. We lucked out, slid into a cancellation, and the friendly hostess sat us in the front dining room overlooking the foliage where we could watch the gondolas glide by. My kids were bummed when the homemade chips were sold out, but were happy with the mac and cheese. We ordered salads and burgers that were tasty, but my favorite part of the meal was the hot apple cider served in a glass with a lemon wedge and cinnamon stick. It smelled as divine as it tasted.

Vermont’s tallest waterfall and a maple syrup tasting? Let’s do it.

By the time we left the gondola and lunch excursion, it was approaching midday. So we tossed our plan for an ambitious hike in favor of a short one. When we travel we don’t like to over plan and instead enjoy following where the day takes us. After a quick Internet search for a short, easy hike, the day took us to Moss Glen Falls.

The Moss Glen Falls trail is located five minutes from historic Stowe village. We parked by the trail head with no problem, which was just a quarter-mile from the falls — the tallest in the state at 85 feet. We followed a wooden boardwalk through the woods and climbed stone steps as we approached the waterfall viewing area. It is an easy hike, but folks can opt for a longer 2 to 3 hour hike as well.

We are a hiking family so it felt good to be in the woods, even for just a little while and even if the waterfall viewing area was a bit crowded. The waterfall was beautiful and powerful. We took pictures and hiked out, ready for our next adventure — finding a covered bridge.

But wait. We spotted a handmade sign on a stick in the parking lot that said “Dont forget go to Stickys.” Curious, I grabbed my phone and looked it up. The sign was the work of John Shannon of nearby Sticky’s Maple Works. Another sign at the end of the road pointed travelers toward Shannon’s sugar house 8 minutes away in Elmore. Soon we were traveling on a dirt road beneath a canopy of brilliant foliage that lead to a sugar house and a charming little roadside stand.

We were the only visitors and Shannon met us with a greeting and a smile before ushering us into his sugar house. The 50-year veteran of the business eagerly shared his syrup-making knowledge and products, which included maple syrup, maple candy, and homemade maple ice cream (which my son devoured). Guests can tour the sugar house and sample the organic maple syrup made from Mount Elmore trees. Trust me, it’s worth it.

A pour of Heady Topper after visiting a historic bridge? Yes, please.

We enjoy breweries and felt we couldn’t visit Stowe without stopping at The Alchemist for a famous double IPA Heady Topper. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but I love the brewery vibe and this one quickly became my No. 2 (my No. 1 is still Cisco Brewers on Nantucket).

Visitors lounged on Adirondack chairs and played corn hole and disc golf among the fall foliage in the Beer Garden, a DJ played music on the patio, and inside the colorful Beer Cafe talkative patrons filled the tables. My son spied a stack of games and he and my husband settled down for a game of chess.

A food truck by Warren’s Kitchen & Catering served up burgers, mac and cheese, fried chicken, and tacos. The vibe was relaxing as parents chatted while feeding babies and friends caught up. It was a nice way to unwind after a busy day.

We had just come from one of the Stowe area’s three covered bridges: the Red Covered Bridge in nearby Morristown. I love covered bridges and walked slowly through the structure, appreciating that it was built in 1896. I admired the surrounding foliage while listening to the rushing water of Sterling Brook down below.

Climbing back into the car, I noticed the license plates of the other bridge enthusiasts: Texas, Quebec, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Shannon, of Sticky’s, told me proudly, “We get people from all over the world here.”

We noticed. It had became a game for the kids that day, spotting different license plates. They saw Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Ontario, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, and more.

We finished the day strolling along a twinkling Main Street at twilight. Exhausted, we’d soon drive back to Burlington for a bite to eat near our Airbnb. But first, we strolled past shops, historic buildings, galleries, and the iconic Stowe Community Church featured in so many Stowe foliage photos. This year there is scaffolding on the steeple — Vermont’s tallest — due to restoration efforts. No matter. It’s still hard to deny the magic that is Stowe during the fall season.

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.