East Burke is a small village in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, best known as the home of Kingdom Trails — one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the eastern United States. The trail network covers more than 100 miles of singletrack spread across private farms and woodlands around Burke Mountain, ranging from smooth cross-country loops to technical descents. Access is by day pass, and the arrangement with local landowners has held for decades. In winter the same trails convert to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The village itself is minimal: a general store, a few bike shops, some cafes and inns that have grown up to serve the riding community. Burke Mountain itself is a ski resort with an old-school character and notably affordable lift tickets compared to the better-known Vermont resorts. It is not a destination for nightlife or resort amenities — it is a place for people who want to ride trails or ski uncrowded runs and then eat dinner at a picnic table.
The Northeast Kingdom, of which East Burke is a small part, is Vermont at its least refined: working dairy farms, dense forest, and a light tourist footprint outside of foliage season. If you come in fall, the Kingdom is spectacular.