Due to the traffic on the Mountain Road, in 1964 the Stowe Better Business Association voted in favor of creating a "walking path" but the decision went no further than that business meeting. In 1977, a kind and generous woman named Claire Lintilhac, who lived at the end of the Mountain Road, commissioned the Vermont Highway Department to design a bike route. The completed plans sat idle until 1981 when the Long Range Planning Committee (a group formed under the Stowe Area Association) requested that Bike Path Coordinator be hired for two years at the salary of $5,000 for each year. Anne Lusk was hired and started work with no land and no money for construction. Working with volunteer committees and property owners, new plans were prepared, funds raised, designs formulated, articles written, permits received, land acquired, bids opened and construction supervised.
By 1984, 2.7 miles of path had been built on 27 donated easements with $300,000 raised for construction. Three years later, the townspeople voted to approve funding for a path extension, and when the Town Moderator "asked if anyone had any thing to say against extending the path, the audience laughed." Completed in 1989, the total 5.3 miles of path cost $680,000. The funding came from a variety of sources which included $178,000 Land and Water Conservation Funds, $62,000 Revenue Sharing Funds, $120,000 Town Taxes, $134,000 Lintilhac Foundation and $186,000 privately raised by selling pieces of the path at $2 per inch, $15 per foot, $45 per yard, and on through chains, rods, and links.
In 1987, The Report of the Presidents Commission on Americans Outdoor identified the desirability of these greenways. Stowe's community created greenway prompted one magazine to comment, "Walk the Village and ask any resident or merchant for an example of civic pride and invariably the reply is the Stowe Recreation Path."
In 2010, Friends of Rec Path Grooming and several community members presented a proposal to the Select-board asking to have the path groomed during the winter. In 2011, following the efforts of the community, Stowe Town purchased the equipment needed to maintain the path during the cold months and opened it up for all-season use. Now, the path is open to walkers, runners, bikers, snowshoers, cross country skiers and roller bladers. During the winter, GMTA’s free winter shuttle provides transportation along the mountain road if you’re looking for a one-way trip!
In the spring of 2017, Bike maintenance stations at the Lintilhac Park and Chase Park were installed. Bike maintenance stations include all the tools necessary to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs. Hanging the bike from the hanger arms allows the pedals and wheels to spin freely while making adjustments.