Five Ways To Enjoy Winter In The Parks

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Nordic Skiing at Seyon Lodge 



Visit A Rustic Lodge
Seyon Lodge State Park, Groton VT

Seyon Lodge is unique in the park system: a cozy lodge with 8 rooms, delicious, locally sourced meals, fly-fishing in summer on Noyes Pond, and an excellent trails system year-round. Seyon is open year round, and is a popular destination for weddings and group events like craft weekends and yoga classes. In winter, you can also make a day trip to to go snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or fat biking. 
Seyon Lodge handles all its' own reservations, please call the park with any questions at (802) 584-3829. Learn more about Seyon here

Seyon Lodge interior

Try Ice Climbing
Ice climbing at Smugglers' Notch

The cliffs around Smugglers’ Notch are popular ice climbing spots in winter. Check out the Smugglers' Notch Annual Ice Bash and learn ice climbing basics.

Snowmobiling
Parks to try: 
Coolidge State Park, Plymouth VT

Snowmobiling is a popular winter activity all over Vermont, and VAST trails runs right through some parks, including Coolidge and Little River. The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers website includes a listing of local clubs and maps of trails statewide.


Snowshoeing
Winter snowshoe hike

Parks to try: 
Niquette Bay State Park, Colchester VT
Woodford State Park, Woodford VT

Most parks with trail systems such as Little River, Woodford and Branbury work just as well in in winter with snowshoes. It can be fun to explore a park that you may know well in summer such as Little River- it can seem like a completely different world! 






Go Sledding
Parks to try: 
Mt. Ascutney State Park, Windsor VT
Mt. Philo State Park, Charlotte VT
Elmore State Park, Elmore VT

If a park has “Mt.” in its’ name, that must be a good sign, right? For the determined (or those with young kids) even a small hill can make good sledding. For daredevils, the auto roads on Mt. Philo and Ascutney are good choices.

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