Vermont State Parks

Do you dream of spending warm summer days on the water with a fishing rod in hand? A young girl catches a fish and her mother smiles. Ready to tell the tale of the biggest fish you’ve ever caught? Are you excited, but not quite sure where to start? Vermont State Parks and the REEL FUN Gear Loaner Program have you covered. We have an opportunity for anyone to try fishing for free! Vermont State Parks has partnered with Vermont Fish & Wildlife to offer the REEL FUN Gear Loaner Program. This program provides loaner fishing equipment kits available at 19 different state parks. Included in the kits are rods, reels, fishing line and an assortment of lures or baits that can be signed out by park visitors to provide instant access to the sport of fishing. While typically only anglers under 15 can fish without a license, Vermont's annual, statewide Free Fishing Day (June 8 th ) allows both resident and non-resident anglers a day to fish in Vermont without a license.

It’s time to get out of the kitchen and out to the grill! We rounded up delicious recipes to help fuel your Memorial Day Weekend adventures. To maximum your summer play, these recipes were chosen for their ease of preparation, minimal clean up, and crowd-pleasing taste. Grab your skillet and let’s get started! Pro tip: Preparing ingredients before you leave home saves time outdoors for fun and minimizes the amount of trash you need to pack out. Cooking tools needed: Filet knife Skewers (if using wood, make sure to soak in water for at least 30 mins before placing over fire) Heavy-Duty Aluminum foil Large bowl or Ziplock bag Campfire Potatoes From Cupcakes and Kale Chips Cooked potatoes in an aluminum packet. Ingredients: 2 lb. red or white potatoes sliced about 1/2 in. thick. 1 medium onion diced. Salt & pepper to taste. 1/4 c unsalted butter. 1/4 c water. Paprika and/or chopped chives or scallions for garnish optional. Start your camp

In honor of spring and the return of farmer's market season, we're sharing this blog from Tiffany Soukup originally posted in 2013. Let's dig in! Tiffany Soukup spent last summer working as an innkeeper and cook at Seyon Lodge State Park in Groton, Vermont. She shared some of her experiences harvesting and serving locally-sourced food to guests with us: Living in the Pilbara, about 2000 kms north of Perth in Western Australia I worked as a barista and my husband Chris in the kitchen of an old train car called the  Silver Star . Little did I know my choices over the past year to live remotely in the dusty mining town of Port Hedland, Australia would help prepare me for my role in Vermont State Parks this season as the Inn Keeper at Seyon Lodge State Park. Now I live (perhaps not quite as remotely) at the end of a dirt road, nestled next to Noyes Pond in the 27,000 acres of Groton State Forest . Just as my head cook used to call out to me if I grabbed a plate too

Spring Crafts in Full Bloom The sun is shining, critters are coming out of hibernation, and the birds are migrating back for the summer. Longer days mean one thing: more time outside in the sun! Inspired by spring, but not quite sure what to do? Here’s a few crafts to connect your inner artist with nature.  Remember: For crafts involving natural materials, only use materials that are already on the ground and no longer living. Tempted by the beauty of a beautiful bloom? Snap a picture to cherish later and leave it for others to enjoy.  Source: myplumpudding Nature Sculpture A great nature keepsake or gift! 1.       Separate clay into golf ball sized pieces. 2.      Find leaves or twigs on the ground to press into the clay.  3.      Let pieces air dry and turn them into fridge magnets or paperweights. Note: Homemade clay is cheap and easy to make.  Growing A Jeweled Rose  has an easy to follow recipe!  Tic-Tac-Toe Set A fun game for the road or

Join Vermont State Parks for the grand opening of Niquette Bay State Park on Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th . As Park Staff prepared for the park season, Niquette Bay State Park began filling with spring wildflowers. Niquette Bay State Park houses many wildflower colonies that put on a beautiful show for just a few weeks this time of year. Learn what makes these short-lived beauties so special and what types of flowers you might find! What are Spring Ephemerals? These are unique early blooming wildflowers that grow, flower, and seed all in the very short 6-8 week window before the shade from leaf trees covers the forest floor.  By the time deciduous trees have leaves, these flowers will be gone. Where do they grow? The best location to find these is in a predominately hardwood, deciduous forest with large trees and little undergrowth.  They can grow very well on rocky ledges in less than ideal soil conditions. These plants are usually very small and begi