Vermont State Parks

Three friends who love trail running together were given the gift of the ultimate project by the Vermont State Parks Director—to trail run in as many beautiful state parks as we can, write interesting blog entries about our experiences and take photos of our sparkling smiles while we do it. Yes, life really does get better all the time. After several intense meetings in the middle of our cubicle maze work space, we decided to start with Little River State Park in Waterbury.  Little River is a popular park with two camping loops and two beaches on clear, refreshing, sandy bottomed Waterbury Reservoir.  Thousands of people spend time in their sleeping bags, in front of campfires, and paddling around the reservoir during the summer and fall.  Less people dig into the miles and miles of trails full of history and natural beauty on the other side of the park.  Running trails in Little River is a journey through time. The miles of stone walls, cemeteries,...

By: Erin & Evan Meenan For this month's edition of Microhikes and Microbrews, we decided to take advantage of the recent collaboration between the Vermont State Parks and Whetstone Station . This summer, Whetstone, located in downtown Brattleboro, is brewing two beers inspired by two of Vermont's state parks. The beer currently featured at Whetstone is Fort Dummer Summer inspired by, of course, Fort Dummer State Park . Fort Dummer State Park is located in Guilford, VT. The park contains several camp sites, including some with lean-tos. It also offers a recreation field and three hiking trails : Sunrise Trail, Sunset Trail, and Broad Brook Trail. Combined, the trails are approximately 2 miles long and are all really well maintained and marked. The Sunrise and Sunset Trails both have vista points. On the Sunrise Trail, you can see the location of the original fort and from the Sunset Trail you can see one of the oldest churches in Vermont. These two trails are rela...

By Eric Bouchard The 4 th of July at Brighton State Park was full of excitement and entertainment for the entire family. Kicking off our weekend, Friday July 4 th 2014 was a “Come and Go” event, where participants moved through 4 stages: Paint the American Flag: A sheet was drawn up to map out the Red, White and Blue portions of the flag. Each participant had their hand painted with the color of their choice and placed their print in the appropriate area. Color Uncle Sam: Each child was given a half a sheet of paper with Uncle Sam printed on it. The pictures were colored and hung in our Nature Center for all to see. Decorate a Cookie:   Cookies were put out and those involved were able to decorate the cookie with frosting, sprinkles and candy. Make a Betsy Ross Star: Individuals were given a sheet of paper and instructed how to cut out a Betsy Ross Star. They were given a brief history about the flag and how it was formed originally through the friendship of Georg...

In the Green Mountain State, Vermonters’ love for the outdoors and passion for local brews have come together in a State-brewery collaboration. Vermont State Parks and Whetstone Station in Brattleboro, Vt. have brewed up a partnership that features two state park named beers, Fort Dummer Summer and Molly Stark Dark, brewed with water sourced directly from those two State Parks. The partnership also includes free entry to state parks, local charitable giving and everyone’s favorite – koozies for your next camping trip. Beginning July 16, Whetstone will give away up to 100 vouchers for free park entry into Fort Dummer and Molly Stark State Parks, to patrons who order these limited edition brews. Fort Dummer and Molly Stark Parks will also distribute vouchers for a complimentary koozie at Whetstone Pub & Brewery. About the State Park brews: Fort Dummer Summer, Release date: July 16, 2014 This beer is a tribute to the beautiful Fort Dummer in Guilford. Bright, fr...