Vermont Fall Foliage Dispensary Guide 2026: Where to Stop on Every Foliage Route

Vermont's fall foliage season draws approximately 2.5 million visitors and generates around $500 million in spending — more than 10 times the economic impact of a total solar eclipse. Leaf peepers come for the maples, the covered bridges, the unpaved roads, and the particular quality of October light in the Green Mountains. Most of them didn't come specifically for cannabis.

But Vermont's adult-use cannabis market now reaches every major foliage corridor in the state, and for the adults who want to know what's near their route, this guide organizes it clearly. You don't need a medical card, a Vermont ID, or a reservation — just a valid photo ID showing you're 21 or older.

TL;DR: Dispensaries by Foliage Region

The Vermont Foliage Rules for Cannabis Visitors

Before you plan your stops, three things matter:

• Possession limit: 2 ounces of flower and 10 grams of concentrate per adult (updated by S.278, effective July 1, 2026).
• Consumption: Private property only, where the owner permits it. No public consumption — that includes parking lots, roadside pull-offs, hiking trails, and state parks.
• State lines: Do not transport cannabis into New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or New York. Federal law governs state crossings regardless of what either state has legalized.

Vermont's cannabis tax is 20% in most of the state (14% excise + 6% sales). Towns with a 1% local option tax charge 21%; those include Burlington, Brattleboro, Woodstock, Manchester, and Rutland. The tax is included in posted prices at most shops.

Northeast Kingdom: First to Peak, First to Serve

The Northeast Kingdom — Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties in Vermont's far north — typically sees peak foliage earlier than anywhere else in the state. The combination of elevation, latitude, and the boreal forests around Lake Memphremagog produces some of the most saturated color in New England, often cresting in the last week of September or first days of October before the rest of Vermont has fully turned.

Newport, the county seat of Orleans County at the southern tip of Lake Memphremagog, has no cannabis dispensary inside city limits. The three nearest shops are all in Derby, two to three miles south on US Route 5 — a five-minute drive from Newport's waterfront.

• The High Country — 5134 US Route 5, Derby; (802) 487-9675; thehighcountryvt.com. Open daily 8:00 AM–7:00 PM. Online ordering, COAs for all products. Closest to Newport (1.9 miles south).
• Kushies — 4267 US Route 5, Derby; (802) 214-4566; kushies.life. Monday–Thursday 8 AM–8 PM, Friday–Saturday 8 AM–8:30 PM, Sunday 8 AM–7 PM. Latest hours in the Northeast Kingdom. Daily themed specials; 10% discount for seniors (65+), veterans, and out-of-state medical card holders.
• Kingdom Boyz Cannabis — 3731 US Route 5, Derby; (802) 766-3520; kingdomboyzvt.com. Monday–Saturday 8 AM–6 PM, Sunday 9 AM–3 PM. In-house Vermont cultivator; $20 premium eighths tax included. Note the limited Sunday hours.

For the Caledonia County side of the Kingdom, St. Johnsbury has two shops: The Green Man (1998 Memorial Dr Suite 12; 802-535-0669; Monday–Wednesday 10–6, Thursday–Friday 10–7, Saturday 10–5, Sunday 10–4:20) and Northeast Kannabis (166 Railroad St; education-focused, Monday–Saturday 10–7). See the full St. Johnsbury near-me guide for details.

Route 100 / Stowe Corridor: The Classic Foliage Drive

Vermont Route 100 — running the length of the state through the spine of the Green Mountains — is the most traveled foliage route in New England. The section from Waterbury north to Stowe and then south to Warren and Waitsfield produces some of the most photographed landscapes in the state. Peak color usually arrives in the first two weeks of October in this corridor.

Stowe itself has no CCB-licensed cannabis dispensary. The closest shops are in Waterbury Center, 12–15 minutes south on Route 100, and in Morrisville, 15 minutes north via Route 100 and VT-15.

Waterbury Center (12–15 min south of Stowe):

• Vermont GoodFire Cannabis — 3627 Waterbury-Stowe Rd; (802) 224-8888; vtgoodfirecannabis.com. Monday–Thursday 10 AM–7 PM, Friday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10 AM–6 PM. Closest to the resort.
• 31° North — 2653 Waterbury-Stowe Rd; (802) 560-7927; 31northvt.com. Monday–Wednesday and Sunday 10 AM–7 PM, Thursday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM. Women-owned.
• Zenbarn Farms — 1930 Waterbury-Stowe Rd; (802) 244-8134; zenbarnmj.com. Daily 10 AM–7 PM. Medical and recreational; farm-rooted identity.

Morrisville (~15 min north of Stowe): Higher Elevation (65 Northgate Ave Suite 6; 802-851-8587; higherelevationvt.com) carries the largest selection in Lamoille County. See the Stowe near-me guide for all four Morrisville shops.

The Route 100 corridor is also worth noting for the Mad River Valley: Waitsfield has dispensary coverage covered in the Waitsfield near-me guide.

Woodstock and the Route 4 Corridor: Classic Vermont at Peak Color

Woodstock — Vermont's most-photographed village — sits in Windsor County on US Route 4, flanked by the Ottauquechee River and covered by a 19th-century preservation ordinance that bans overhead utility lines. Its elm-shaded green and Federal-era architecture peak in mid-October. Two dispensaries now serve the town directly.

• Sunday Drive — 442 Woodstock Rd Suite 3A, Woodstock; (802) 332-0049; vtsundaydrive.com. Saturday–Tuesday 10 AM–6 PM, Wednesday–Friday 9 AM–7 PM. Female-owned; founded by PJ, who participated in the CCB advisory process before Woodstock voted to allow cannabis retail. Vermont's 1% Woodstock local option tax applies: 21% total.
• Sunkissed Farm — 4374 W Woodstock Rd, Woodstock VT 05091; (802) 222-6920; sunkissed.farm. Daily 9 AM–7 PM, Wednesday until 9 PM. Cultivator-retailer that grows its flower on a 29-acre Connecticut River floodplain estate in Windsor (farmed since 1805) and sells it from this farm-stand shop west of Woodstock village. Sun-grown, living-soil cannabis — inspect and smell flower before buying. $20 eighths common on their menu.

The Killington corridor, 20 miles west on Route 4, adds three more options:

• Killington Mountain Dispensary — 2384 Killington Rd; (802) 422-2283; killingtonmd.com. Daily 8:00 AM–8:00 PM, on the resort access road. The most convenient stop in the corridor.
• Green Union — 4738 VT Route 100A, Plymouth; (802) 672-1000; greenunionvt.com. Monday–Thursday 10 AM–7 PM, Friday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10 AM–7 PM. In-house First Chair Farms grow; cultivators often work the floor. Route 100 south approach to Killington.
• Woolly Mammoth Cannabis — 102 Mill Rd, Bridgewater; (802) 672-4737; woollymammothshop.com. Monday–Thursday and Sunday 9 AM–7 PM, Friday–Saturday 9 AM–9 PM. Solventless rosin specialist; latest hours in the Route 4 east corridor. Best choice if you're arriving from Woodstock on a Friday or Saturday evening.

See the full Killington near-me guide for more detail on all five Route 4 corridor shops.

Southern Vermont: The Late Bloomers

Southern Vermont — Bennington County and Windham County — peaks latest in the state, often not until the third or fourth week of October. It also draws visitors from Massachusetts and New York who don't want to drive as far north. Four towns have dispensaries:

Manchester (Bennington County, 21% tax)

Manchester serves the Bromley Mountain (7 miles east) and Stratton Mountain (18 miles southeast) ski-and-foliage corridor on Route 7A and Route 11.

• Green Mountain Cannabis Works — 4542 Main Street, Manchester Center; (802) 367-3562; greenmountaincannabisworks.com. Daily 11:00 AM–7:00 PM. Manchester's first adult-use shop (September 2023), locally owned, Vermont-grown focus, online ordering.
• Verdiggity Organics Cannabis Co. — 342 Depot Street, Manchester Center; (802) 210-4010; verdiggityorganics.com. Monday–Friday 10 AM–7 PM, Saturday–Sunday 11 AM–5 PM. Cultivator-retailer; owner grows 8 in-house organic strains on-site and supplies ~34 Vermont dispensaries statewide.

Wilmington (Windham County, 20% tax)

Wilmington anchors the Mount Snow corridor on Route 9, the main east-west route between Bennington and Brattleboro. Two shops serve the area:

• Matterhorn Apothecary — 7 N Main St, Wilmington; (802) 464-7142; matterhornapothecary.com. Daily 10 AM–6 PM.
• Ratu's Cannabis Supply — 36 W Main St, Wilmington; (802) 464-1390; ratuscannabis.com. Monday–Thursday 10:30 AM–7 PM, Friday–Saturday 10:30 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10:30 AM–6 PM. Locally owned; 300+ flower strains and a smell bar. Latest hours in the Mount Snow corridor.

Brattleboro (Windham County, 21% tax)

Brattleboro is the closest Vermont cannabis market for visitors crossing I-91 from Massachusetts or New Hampshire. Three shops are all on or near Putney Road:

• Cannabis Maximus — 725 Putney Rd Suite 2; (802) 490-2253; cannabismaximus.com. Monday–Wednesday 8 AM–7 PM, Thursday–Saturday 8 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10 AM–6 PM. In-house grow and tissue culture lab, clones (~$20); 15% off veterans, first responders, medical card holders, and first-time customers.
• Theory Wellness — 768 Putney Rd; (802) 454-3480; theorywellness.org. Daily 9 AM–9 PM. Latest hours in Brattleboro — the only shop open past 8 PM in the area.
• Vermont Bud Barn — 257 Marlboro Rd Suite 101; (802) 246-4367; vtbudbarn.com. Monday–Thursday 10 AM–6 PM, Friday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM, Sunday 9 AM–6 PM. Southern Vermont's first adult-use retailer (October 2022), operating out of a renovated 1870 barn; 2024 Brattleboro Reformer Reader's Choice, Best Dispensary.

Bennington (Bennington County, 20% tax)

Bennington is Vermont's southwesternmost city, 10 miles from the New York border and 25 miles from the Massachusetts line. Do not cross either border with cannabis.

• Juniper Lane Cannabis — 445 Main St; (802) 440-5755; juniperlanecannabis.com. Monday–Saturday 9 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10 AM–6 PM. Consistent hours and strong local reviews.
• Silver Therapeutics — 201 Northside Dr, Bennington; (802) 440-5170; silver-therapeutics.com. Monday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM, Sunday 10 AM–6 PM. Multi-state operator (MA/ME/VT/NY) on the Route 7 commercial strip north of downtown; broad product range with online ordering.

Burlington as a Base

Burlington sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, roughly 3–4 hours from Boston and 4 hours from New York, making it a natural starting point for a foliage loop through the state. The Champlain Valley itself — lake level, surrounded by the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondacks to the west across the lake — peaks in mid-to-late October, later than most of Vermont.

Burlington has 12+ CCB-licensed adult-use dispensaries within the city and the immediately adjacent suburbs of Winooski, South Burlington, Colchester, Essex Junction, and Essex. That density means real competition on price and quality, and it gives you a chance to stock up before heading out on a multi-day foliage loop where individual town options might be thin or early-closing.

Notable Burlington stops: Float On for education-forward service, Bern Gallery for deep product selection, Lucky You for competitive pricing, and True 802 Cannabis for a locally rooted feel. See the Burlington dispensary directory or the dispensary compare tool for full listings and current hours.

What to Buy for a Foliage Trip

A few format notes for visitors planning a multi-day drive:

• Edibles travel well — no smell, discreet, and easy to portion. Buy low (2.5–5 mg) if you haven't used edibles recently. Onset is 45–90 minutes; don't re-dose early.
• Pre-rolls for an evening by the fire — convenient, no gear required, and most dispensaries stock Vermont-grown options at a range of price points. Stick to lower-THC options if you're not a regular user.
• Store in a sealed container. Keep cannabis in its original sealed packaging or a dedicated smell-proof container during travel. Open containers in a vehicle, even parked, can draw scrutiny.
• Do not drive impaired. Vermont's cannabis DUI law applies the same standard as alcohol. Mountain roads in October — often wet leaves, deer crossings, early dark — are not the place to find out what your limits are.

The Vermont strain match tool can help you describe what you're looking for before you walk in — useful if you know you want something mellow for a leaf-peeping afternoon versus something to help you sleep at altitude.

A Note on Crossing Borders

Vermont shares borders with New Hampshire (east), Massachusetts (south), and New York (west). Cannabis is adult-use legal in all three states, which can create a false sense of symmetry. It doesn't matter — transporting cannabis across any state line is a federal crime, regardless of the destination state's laws. This applies to any amount, any form, including what most people would consider trace quantities. Leave your Vermont purchases in Vermont.

The full border guide covers the specifics for each crossing.