Vermont State Parks

As we embark on a new summer season, I would like to share our summertime adventures with you. My wife and I have two kids, a five-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. Every weekend and any chance we have, we get outside to enjoy all the outdoor activities Vermont has to offer, from camping, hiking, biking, and swimming, to visiting playgrounds, fishing, looking for birds, and going on walks.  The Vermont State Parks have helped us enjoy many of these activities. Two years ago we made a goal as a family to visit every state park in Vermont, however many years that may take us.  So far we have made it to: Crystal Lake Lake Carmi Sand Bar Niquette Bay Grand Isle Alburg Dunes Knight's Point Kill Kare Elmore Little River Mount Philo Our first two family camping trips were at Grand Isle State Park , and Little River State Par k.  Both kids did really well with sleeping in a tent for the first time.  At Little River,...

by Ranger, Eric Bouchard   At the Dinner Table: Nick Caputo, John Medose, Susan Bulmer, Eric Bouchard Pre-season, as every Ranger knows, the Regional Management comes out to individual parks to plan and coordinate seasonal activities and to also dispense both park merchandise and shared experiential knowledge. This season, prior to their arrival, Assistant Ranger Vela planned and prepared a scrumptious Asian dish for everyone to share once the meeting had ended. And so, after a healthy and lively meeting and conversation it was nice just to sit down, relax, chit-chat and just take stock in life; and just for a moment, forget about the stresses that come about in the pre-season.  Raking is our Assistant Ranger and Resident Chef Vela Mesina. 

Saturday May 4, 2013, Boy Scout Troop 804 of Newport, VT made their way to Brighton State Park for Green Up Day. Troop members and leaders worked diligently through the day to help get the park ready for the upcoming season. Rangers Eric Bouchard and Vela Mesina worked alongside the troop raking and leaf blowing from the main entrance, around the Ranger station and up close to where the sites begin. Along the way trash and other large debris was also removed. It was a very productive day and not only were we happy to have the help, but the troops seemed to really enjoy the work and felt a real sense of accomplishment after the job was done. At the end of the day,  deserving scouts were presented packets with goodies including snacks, Jr. Ranger booklets and patches by the Rangers.  We want to thank them for all of their time and efforts as well as all that they do to make the world and community a better place. You can always count on the Boy Scouts! We appreciate y...

Venture Vermont Bonus Activity #1 Venture Vermont bonus activities will be posted once a week on Facebook and the activity needs to be completed in that specific week between Monday and Sunday of that week.  Wednesday May 1st: Listen for Spring Peepers (15 pts)  The warming of spring brings many animals to life. Listen for a "pee-eep. pee-eep, pee-eep" coming  from  the direction of a pond or a marshy spot. But be careful when looking to find the frog, it is so small and well camouflaged, so look low down while searching for them. Spring  peepers  are tree frogs but prefer low branches, bushes and they usually wait until desk to begin calling.  Find out where Spring peepers live in the winter and if you can't find one to photograph, look it up and draw a picture of one labeling it with the proper species name.  Good Luck! How to Do the Challenge? 1. Download a score sheet 2. Do the fun outdoor activities listed on the score sheet b...

Green Up Day on the trail. We're meeting Saturday May 4, 9 AM, at Kettle Pond parking lot (off of Rte 232, in Groton State Forest.) We'll head up the rail-trail towards Marshfield from there, doing some spring clean up. Local folks have reported cleaning out old tires and other trash along the trail earlier this spring already, and say that there is more to be gotten. Green Up Vermont's mission is to promote the stewardship of our state's natural landscape and waterways and the livability of our communities. The goal is to raise public awareness about the benefits of a litter free environment.

Join Vermont State Parks on  Sunday April 28th and May 4th for a hike in  Niquette Bay State Park while looking at spring wildflowers. Niquette Bay State Park is home to many wildflower colonies that put on a beautiful show for just a few weeks this time of year. Let’s hunt for wildflowers in the Park from 10am – 12pm on Sunday, April 28 and Saturday, May 4.  Bring your camera and any wildflower guide books along for an informative hike through the park with Park Ranger Lisa Liotta.  Space is limited, please phone the park at 802.893.5210 to RSVP.  *Please keep doggies at home or in the car for these hikes in order to protect these fragile species. From Niquette Bay Ranger Lisa Liotta: Today, I found the first spring ephemerals of 2013 in the Park.  Spring ephemerals are perennial wildflowers that are the first of the season to appear.  The word “ephemeral” means short lived, fleeting, transitory;  and it is a very apt adjec...

When the snow starts melting and the temperatures get warmer, most of us want to get outside and hike! But, mud season is not a good time for hiking in certain areas. Rain and melting snow at higher elevations are keeping many of Vermont's hiking trails wet and muddy. When hikers tramp on saturated soils, they cause soil compaction and erosion as well as damage to the trail and surrounding vegetation. Please help protect the fragile trails this time of year by staying off muddy trails. Higher elevation soils take longer to dry out. And after an epic snowfall this winter, and heavy spring rains the trails will take longer than normal to dry out.  A trail may be dry at the trailhead, but is muddy at a higher elevation this time of year. If you notice this happening, please turn around! Trails at lower elevations, dirt roads, and recreation paths provide excellent places for early spring walking. Below is a list of great places to hike during mud season - enjoy! ...