Let the Adventures Begin: The Miller Family's Quest

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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 Park.  Both kids did really well with sleeping in a tent for the first time.  At Little River, we enjoyed the nature program and rented a canoe so we could go fishing and have a picnic on the other side of the lake. We also had a lovely hike there. At Niquette Bay the Ranger gave us a scavenger hunt, which was very motivating and fun for the kids.

Our favorite spots for swimming were Elmore and Alburg Dunes.  The water was nice and warm and there was plenty of sand for playing, building castles, and burying each other’s legs and feet.

We made a family project and photo album out of the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge and, with free entry into all the state parks for 2013, we’re ready to do it all again. It’s off to new adventures, new state parks, and the natural beauty of this wonderful state we live in. We already have camping trips planned for Elmore, Button Bay, and possibly Silver Lake or Branbury.  Hopefully we’ll take many day trips to places like Allis State Park, Waterbury Center, Kingsland Bay and any others we can make it to.

We are very grateful to be able to share the outdoors with our kids in this way. So far we have 40 points for the summer of 2013!

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