The route, assigned in the late 1920s, is the last remaining F-X designation in Vermont.

F-X route designations were previously used for roads leading to ferries across Lake Champlain.

Despite the lack of curves on the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) straightaway, the hilly terrain of the area makes navigating the road a challenge at times.

VT F-5 was assigned in the late 1920s as part of a series of 11 F-X routes connecting ferries across Lake Champlain from New York to the remainder of the Vermont state highway system.

[3][4] Over the next three decades, many of the F-X routes were eliminated or renumbered to standard numerical designations as all but four Lake Champlain ferries ceased operations.