Vermont Town Shuts Down Scenic Road Because Of 'Annoying' Social Media Influencers

Another scenic small town has been forced to take a drastic step to tackle the influx of tourists and influencers during peak season.

With autumn soon approaching, people in the US and tourists from all over the world would soon plan their trip to witness the magical colours in the New England region, especially in Vermont.

However, one town in Vermont has decided to close one of its roads for three weeks in response to tourists and content creators flooding the tiny place every year during the fall season.

In August, Pomfret, a town in Windsor County, Vermont, voted to shut down access to Sleepy Hollow Farm — the "most photographed spot" in the entire state — which was a firm stand taken by the residents against this annual issue.

Cloudland Road, which leads to the farm, will now be closed during peak "leaf peeping" season from Sept. 23 to Oct. 15. Only residents and emergency vehicles are allowed to access it, and locals are thrilled with the decision.

The decision was taken by the town's select board during an official meeting. It is also understood that to make sure the rules are followed, sheriff's deputies will have checkpoints at the top and bottom of the road.

Last month, during the town meeting, the locals from Pomfret expressed their frustration regarding the number of cars, tour buses and drones flying across Cloudland Road, leading to Sleepy Hollow.

Vermont's main problem: Social media influencers

The locals also said that while their region in Vermont has always been popular during the fall season, the scenes turned chaotic around five years ago when the social media influencers began arriving looking for their fall content. Prior to that, visitors to these areas were mostly genuine photographers.

"They've [photographers] been coming here for decades. You might have had six or eight cars come up at dawn. They're quiet. They don't bother anyone," Mike Doten, who owns an 80-acre farm on Cloudland Road, said.

Doten slammed the influencers for treating their stunning Cloudland Road as a "public park".

Notably, this is Pomfret's second attempt at controlling the influx of influencers. Last year, the town made Cloudland Road one-way only during the fall foliage season. However, the move was unsuccessful. This was because instead of returning the way they came, the visitors would drive up a couple of miles onto another road, running down an unpaved road in a cloud of dust.