Vermont State Parks

 The former Will Monroe house On a recent blog post, "A Question Asked and Answered: Some Really Interesting Camel's Hump History", we shared a question asked by a park visitor about the history of Camel's Hump , and a really interesting answer from Stewardship Forester, Gary Sawyer. Well, Doug, our park visitor, came back with a few more questions for Gary, and here's how it went: Doug: My sister recently found a hand-written journal kept by our father when he and two other lads from Montpelier hiked the Long Trail from Duxbury to Rutland in August of 1921. Here is an excerpt of his first day account: "Brock, Lindsay and Jones left Montpelier at 3:00 P.M. Sunday with every expectation of rain. Arrived the Callahans 4:00 P.M. Packs weighed about 35 lbs. each. The first half mile was somewhat of a torture to our untrained muscles. Stopped about 6:30 at the Boy Scout camp for supper. The rest of the way to the top was so steep that our noses ...

A few from the park of the surrounding mountains A new show, "Park Secrets", airing this summer on the Travel Channel brought Lusid Media including Jillian Cohen, the producer for the show, and her crew to Smugglers' Notch State Park on February 1st. The show uncovers "Park Secrets" and showcases a handful of hidden parks across the country and explores why they are so special. Regional Park Manager, Susan Bulmer, spent the morning with Jillian, discussing one of Vermont's hidden gems tucked in the green mountains near Stowe and what folks enjoy most about the park. Susan speaks to the film crew Smugglers’ Notch State Park is a little more 'hidden' in the winter months as part of the mountain road closes until the snow is gone, but that doesn't seem to stop many people from seeking it out and enjoying what the park has to offer. Ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing are popular sports in and around the park. In fact, two i...

The bike on ice race begins! (Frozen Regatta scheduled for Feb. 18) The only time of year when skiing, walking, skating, and sledding can be done on Lake Champlain is now! As part of the Great Ice in Grand Isle celebration, Vermont State Parks is encouraging folks to get out on the ice by hosting a 'Trek to Knight Island' on Sunday, Feb. 19th from 11:00AM - 4:00PM. Grab your skates, skis, snowshoes or sleds and make the trek to Knight Island State Park – which is only accessible by boat during the summer. The hike to Knight Island is about 4 miles round trip leaving from North Hero’s welcome dock. Once there, you can also explore the island's trails before warming up at the rustic ranger station where you can enjoy hot beverages and island lore, compliments of Park Ranger Jim Putnam. A family trekking across the ice to Knight Island State Park (scheduled for Feb. 19) Knight Island, acquired by the state in 1990, is one of three neighboring island parks in...

Four new campground cabins will be ready for use in Woodford State Park starting this spring, but right now two of them are nameless. So, we're having a cabin naming contest! The cabins have to be named after native Vermont flowers. So, all you have to do is tell us which flowers we should choose and why! The other two have already been named Gentian and Trillium so all other flower names are available. Send your entry to: parks@state.vt.us with "Cabin naming contest" in the subject. In the email include your name, address, and your names and explanations by March 1, 2012. You can also mail entries to us at 103 South Main Street, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 05671. The lucky winners will be announced mid-March. As their prize, they will able to stay for two nights in their named cabin, and we’ll also post a framed write up and photo in the cabin all season! You can make history and decide what these cabins should be called – forever! Good luck and let the "Names...

Bob Dill shared a first hand account of a unique sighting (and rescue) yesterday through Vermont Birds Listserv. We'd like to share his tale: Bill and a friend, named Phelps, were ice skating off Sand Bar State Park yesterday and soon spotted a distressed red-throated loon on the ice of Lake Champlain. The ice was inhibiting the bird from taking off; it was too slippery. They came ashore for advice and more equipment. After several calls, they finally got a hold of Carol Winfield in Westford who walked them through how to capture, transport, and release the loon safely. The two men borrowed an extra car coat from a neighbor of Phelps' who happened by at just the right time and skated back out to the bird. Luckily, the capture was straight forward and went off smoothly. The loon was walked back in rather than skating to reduce the risk of falling with the bird. Bill and Phelps took a short drive to a bridge where rocks near the bridge were free of ice, all...

Tin huts on Camel's Hump clearing We get questions of all kinds in our reservation call center, many relating to the history of certain land parcels. We're always amazed by what we learn, and thought you might be interested in this one: A person wrote to us about the restoration of Camel's Hump as follows: "I came across some old photos of tin huts on the upper portion of the mountain that were used by hikers and, I guess, maintained by the GMC back in the 1920's and 1930's. I understand that those intrusions have since been removed and wonder if you can tell me when this laudable action took place?" Gary Sawyer, Stewardship Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation is my go-to guy for all things Camel's Hump. He knows everything about 'The Hump'. He sent some photos and this reply: Camel's Hump hotel  During the mid to late 1800’s, into the early 1900’s, it was quite popular for folks from ‘down-...

The loon rescue using the new airboat Loon enthusiast and VT State Parks Program Host, Eric Hanson, took part in an exciting loon rescue just before the new year. Eric posted the following story on his blog for Vermont Center for Ecostudies : A wounded loon could not take flight from his home in Lake Eligo, (Greensboro, VT) when it began to freeze over. This little bird endured a week of less and less open water while fending off bald eagle attacks until his hole finally froze over completely. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept. Game Warden, Russ Shopland, came to the rescue using a newly acquired airboat to scoop up the injured loon. (the rescue team took this opportunity to do a practice run of a thin ice rescue) The loon during recovery in Eric's bathtub After the rescue, Eric nursed the loon in his bathtub, feeding him minnows while his wing was healing and sent us the following update: The loon had an old break in his wing as an x-ray from Lamoille Valley Vets sho...