Vermont State Parks COVID-19 Updates

We will be posting any updates to Vermont State Parks in relation to COVID-19 on this page.

Vermont State Park Status Updates as of 12/4/20:

A Plan for Operating Vermont State Parks

Travel Guidelines

Due to raising COVID-19 case counts across the Northeast, effective on November 10, 2020, the State of Vermont has suspended its leisure travel map and implemented a mandatory quarantine for anyone returning or traveling to Vermont.

For more information on Cross State Travel Information, check out the Agency of Commerce and Community Development page.

Partnering with You to Keep Parks Open 

Park staff and visitors are partnering to minimize risk for everyone in parks by strict adherence to behavior guidelines. If either partner fails to uphold their commitment to safety, parks may be required to close the facilities to public use.

Your Part

To help keep Vermont State Parks safe and open to the public, we ask visitors to:

• Ensure they meet all current out-of-state travel restrictions according to CDC and VDH guidelines in Vermont prior to entering the park.
• Reschedule your visit to the park if you are or have recently been ill, tested positive or been exposed to someone who has tested positive
• Maintain at least 6 feet physical distance between from anyone who is not in your household, including with staff except when necessary for transactions. 
• Plan ahead to combine trips to the contact station to reduce staff-visitor interactions.
• Do not exceed the posted maximum number of people in bathhouses
• Bring picnic blankets/folding chairs as well as water bottles for comfortable lounging and staying hydrated. 

Masks are required whenever you will encounter other visitors or staff outside your immediate household. This includes in bathhouses, at contact stations, or generally anytime you are with people outside your immediate household on your campsite. For more mask tips, visit HealthVermont.gov/MasksOnVT.

Visitors are strongly advised to assume responsibility for protecting themselves from transmission via touch points, including packing and making regular use of hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.   

Our Part 

To provide opportunities for swimming, picnicking, fishing, hiking, camping and outdoor recreation in a safe way, Vermont State Parks is committed to:

Maintaining physical distance between unrelated park visitors, and between staff and visitors including:

• Staff wearing appropriate PPE at all times and hand sanitizing is required between transactions.
• Limiting day use entries to ensure room for social distancing. This is done on a park-by-park basis and we encourage people to call ahead before driving to a park. 
• Limiting the number of staff present inside contact stations and the placement of protective shields where possible
• Listing the allowable maximum occupancy for bathrooms on signs and asking the visiting public to adhere to the limitation.
• Only allowing group gatherings, group camping, and use of picnic shelters if consistent with the restrictions in place at the time. As of 8/5/20, gatherings need to be limited to 25 or fewer.
• Face-to-face front line interpretive and entertainment programming will be suspended for the season.
• The swimming pool at Button Bay State Park will not be operated.

Managing, reducing, and eliminating common touch points including:

• Any non-essential services or transactions that result in touch points and/or staff personal interaction have been suspended for the 2020 season.

The following are 

NOT available this year:

• Boat and bicycle rentals
• Concession stand operations
• Indoor space rentals including cabins, cottages, and lodge rooms
• Loaning of play equipment, camping and fishing gear
• Sales of merchandise

• Sale of ice is limited to only parks without local alternatives: Brighton, Maidstone, Woodford, and Burton Island. 
• Sale of firewood continue at all campgrounds.
• All playground apparatus are open, however we encourage visitors to frequently hand sanitize and schedule visits around less crowded times. 
• Picnic tables, movable benches, and chairs have been removed from day use areas except those needed to provide for people with physical disabilities. 
• Doors are propped open where feasible, trash receptacle covers have been removed, and other unnecessary touch points were eliminated wherever possible.
• Paper maps, guides and interpretive information have been minimized. 
• Cash will only be accepted if there is no alternative.
• Water fountains have been disconnected.

Maintaining a regular cleaning routine as consistent with CDC guidelines:

• Soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers are installed throughout both day use and camping bathrooms. 
• High touch points are disinfected regularly throughout the day according to protocols consistent with CDC guidelines. 
• Bathrooms and showers will be cleaned and disinfected consistent with CDC guidelines.
• Picnic grill handles and water spigot handles will be disinfected once per day.
• Tables, and lean-to handrails and other obvious touch points will be cleaned, and grill handles disinfected between visitors. 
• The following parks have port-o-lets this year: Camp Plymouth, Silver Lake, Woodford, Lake Shaftsbury, Lake St. Catherine, Branbury, Mt. Philo, Sand Bar, Alburgh Dunes, Kill Kare, Elmore and Waterbury Center.

Additional Information

For the Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreations recommendations for Outdoor Recreation and COVID-19, visit the following: https://fpr.vermont.gov/recreation/outdoor-recreation-and-covid-19

For the latest information on COVID-19 in Vermont, visit the following:

Vermont Department of Health 

Vermont Emergency Management

Governor Phil Scott

Vermont Economic Development