Vermont State Parks

The 2017 score sheet was posted on April 1st  Just in time for spring, outdoor enthusiasts can celebrate the approaching good weather with the kickoff of Venture Vermont. The challenge is a great way to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, and anyone can participate. Activities this year will include riding bikes, hiking, skipping stones, fishing, bird watching, and going on a day-long outdoor adventure. The rules are pretty simple. Here's how it works: Download a score sheet (online PDF) Do fun outdoor activities listed on the score sheet between April 01, 2017 - October 15, 2017 Take photos of your activities When you reach 250 points, submit your score sheet and photos to us Receive a VIP gold coin, good for free state park entry for rest of this year and all of next! Have a blast! If you are doing the challenge as a family, you can take group photos, but each family member needs their own score sheet. Also remember that special ...

Smugglers' Cave Recently, the Travel Channel asked us to name our most adventurous state park. We had a hard time because there is plenty of adventure to be found in Vermont's 55+ state parks. Should we pick Mt. Ascutney for it's hang gliding? Jamacia for its whitewater paddling? Or Green River Reservoir or Woods Island for its remote paddle-in camping? The Appalachian Trail runs through Gifford Woods State Park , there is gold panning at Camp Plymouth State Park . Branbury  has rockclimbing cliffs,  And the list goes on. We were only allowed to choose one, so we settled on Smugglers' Notch State Park . Named after an infamous route used to smuggle illegal goods across the US-Canada border, Smugglers Notch State Park has an adventurous past and present. Located at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, the park is part of the much larger Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Photo: Summer Wuerthner The Long Trail, a trail that runs the lengt...

Picture taken by Charlie Harcourt in Poultney, VT Recently spotted in Poultney, a nicely matched pair of Eastern Screech Owls. When hatched, these owls are covered in white down, but the adults come in several different color morphs: red, grey and brown. We always enjoy when nature provides such a convenient visual/ educational aid! Eastern screech owls are common east of the Rockies. The red color morph is common in the eastern part of its range, but becomes much less common as you travel west into the great plains and towards the Rocky Mountains. In south Texas, the red color morph is almost unknown. Eastern screech owls can be found anywhere where there is ample tree cover, allowing them to shelter in tree cavities since they do not build their own nest. Their sounds are distinctive- often a monotone trill or whinny. Screech owls are masters of disguise, and is us usually easier to hear than to see them  Listen to some of their calls here:  https://www.allaboutbird...

British Soldiers lichen at Underhill State Park  By Rebecca Roy Hardy Vermont State Park fans have been out exploring their favorite parks, even in the sometimes chilly, sometimes icy winter world we are experiencing this year. My friend Amy, who loves state parks so much she completed our Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge with her little daughter last year, was recently hiking around in Underhill State Park . Amy came back with wonderful memories of the smell of a fragrant spruce, fir forest in winter, and a photo of an unidentified lichen specimen. To cope with harsh winter weather, and to prevent harmful freezing, most plants in Vermont lose leaves in autumn, and enter a dormant period. Deciduous trees, herbaceous plants, wildflowers, and many shrubs spend the winter leafless, waiting for spring. However, there are some hardy organisms possessing adaptations giving them the edge on winter weather. The winter landscape is like a cold desert, freezing temperatures bri...

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Are you looking for a romantic spot to take your current, potential, or totally imaginary sweetie? During the summer months, many parks host weddings, receptions and marriage proposals, and other creative types find romance year-round. In honor of the holiday, here are some picks for a park-related romantic rendezvous. Falls of Lana hike from Branbury State Park Lots of people find waterfalls to be romantic. Stands to reason, right? Nothing captures warm and fuzzy feelings more than the action of water violently cascading against rock. The Falls of Lana are only a short hike from the day-use area at Branbury, and offer several spots to view the falls from various angles. The park setting by Lake Dunmore is a more mellow, less dramatic place to walk along the beach or have a picnic. The Fire Tower at Molly Stark State Park There’s also something about the view from a fire tower (as long as neither you no your sweetie is afraid of height...

After skimming the latest Northern Woodlands magazine, I stumbled across an article about brewing native winter teas, naturally high in vitamins A and C. This was an intriguing idea, and I decided to take a stab at brewing my own tea from white pine. That was an activity I’d heard of before in passing, but hadn't considered in depth, and I decided to give it a try. Eastern White Pine ( Pinus strobus ) is a well-known and common native of the northeast. Its’ range stretches from eastern Canada though the northeast U.S. states as far south as Georgia. White pine grows large and lives a long time, and historically, even played a small part in the events leading up to the American Revolution. The British Navy needed sturdy wood for its’ ships to defend their ever-growing empire, but faced a shortage of trees at home. They discovered that tall white pines in the American colonies worked very well, and forbade anyone but the crown to cut down pines of a certain size. This was a d...

Tubing at Mt. Ascutney  Downhill winter sports get the most press this time of year, but we know there are many ways to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Because being an adult is difficult sometimes (or lot of the time!), today we focus on a pair of activities that should appeal to the young.. and the young at heart. Sledding is of course popular with kids the world over, and fat bikes, with their big bouncy tires, just look fun.  Sledding A classic favorite with a nostalgic appeal. Sledding definitely isn’t just for kids though! The beauty of sledding is its simplicity: all you need is a sled (improvised or otherwise) and an incline. Snow is strongly recommended. Sleds have evolved over the years, from the classic wooden body with runners design, to sleek modern models. Here are some suggestions for sledding in the parks: Mt. Philo, Charlotte VT:  This long, windy park road from the summit is a dream come true for those who want to live on the edg...