Vermont State Parks

Hikers resting on the Peacham Bog Trail. This weekend (June 8 th & 9 th ) is Vermont Days , a celebration of summer. To help get you in the sunny summer mindset, day entry to any Vermont State Park is free! Whether you’re a local or just visiting for the weekend, we invite you to get outside and explore. No matter your ability, taking to the trails is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. To highlight trails in state parks and state lands, we've compiled a list of trail adventures you might like to try this summer. This list only scratched the surface, and we've decided to leave out Camel's Hump and Mt. Mansfield in favor of lesser-known options.  Find a trail that suits your mood! A man walks on the trail bridge at Lake Shaftsbury.  I want...   An easy trail with good views The trail to Button Point at  Button Bay State Park  is flat and leads to lovely views of Lake Champlain. Or walk the shoreline ...

And the Winners Are... Southeast:   Quechee State Park Southwest:  Branbury State Park Northwest:  Kill Kare State Park Northeast:  Elmore State Park Every year we award park of the year to one park in each region. The purpose of the program is to acknowledge exemplary accomplishments of the parks field staff, as well as for the enhancement of public service- to make the parks better, more enjoyable place to recreate. We do this to emphasize focus on group accomplishment.  Here is a list of some of the c riteria: ®      Staff must display outstanding hospitality to all park visitors. ®      Staff must demonstrate an outstanding ability to tactfully handle conflicts and reinforce rules and regulations. ®      Special consideration will be given to the operation that goes “beyond the normal call of duty”  ®      Staff must maintain a...

The sheer beauty of Vermont State Parks, not only attract guests from a variety of places with a variety of interests but also attract a variety of staff.  Vermont State Parks Staff is composed of a dynamic groups of enthusiastic individuals.  You may find “retired” employees from successful careers in almost any sector, people who grew up on a farm, young people just starting out, college students on a variety of career paths and long time park veterans, among others. All of these diverse backgrounds bring unique skill sets to the parks.  So when Agnes Barsalow, the Ranger at Elmore State Park , suggested we swap a few staff members for the day, we here at Smugglers’ Notch jumped at the chance. Not only was it a chance for the staff to have a little variety over the summer but also a chance for each of our parks to learn from one another.  Each park was able to learn about great things the other parks do and absorb tips and tricks from the staff at the other par...

Sound artist Craig Calorusso is bringing his latest musical performance project, Sun Boxes, into five state parks for five weekends this summer. It's comprised of twenty speakers spread over a large, open lawn operating independently, each powered by the sun via solar panels. Inside each Sun Box is a PC board that has a recorded musical programmed to play continuously in a loop. Because the loops are different in length, once the piece begins they continually overlap and the piece slowly evolves over time. Participants are encouraged to walk amongst the speakers, and surround themselves with the piece. Certain speakers will be closer and, therefore, louder, so the piece will sound different to different people in different positions throughout the array. Allowing the audience to move around will create a unique experience for everyone. In addition, as people wander through the speakers, they alter the composition. Given the option, two people will take different paths through the...

The life of a Vermont State Parks employee working at Elmore State Park has its perks. On any given day my job description may consist of kayaking out into the lake to take water sample, working alongside our knowledgeable and engaging park staff, and enjoying being outside in the most beautiful state in the country. One thing that is unfortunately not in my job description is using all of our toys and equipment that we keep in the closet of our contact station. One day while getting myself situated for work I stumbled across this closet that I never knew existed. It was filled with a badmitton set, horseshoes, a croquet set, and more frisbees than I had seen in my entire tenure of walking the quad at college. I picked a horse shoe off of the shelf, and feeling its heft in my hand and saw a faded set of initials written on it. This made me think of the owner who might have left it. Why did they leave it? Did the tent not go in the back of the station wagon as elegantly as it fit ...

Elmore State Park is known as a fun and popular park. With swimming, hiking, a fire tower to climb, horseshoes, a park interpreter (who runs great programs and events), a newly renovated beachhouse, camping, and more, Elmore is not a park lacking in things to do. Well add one more thing to the list - a music festival on Sunday, September 25, 2011 from 12:00 PM - 6:30 PM! The staff at Elmore usually goes above and beyond the call of duty, and is continuing to do so by generously hosting a benefit music festival. Half the proceeds will go to the Vermont Food Bank and the other half will go to help the Lamoille County Conservation District’s work to protect and restore the water quality of Lake Elmore and the surrounding Lamoille River Watershed. Musical performances will be given by Vorzca , Eames Brothers Band , 7Lbs of Pork , and John Gailmor . The cost is $20.00, but kids under 12 are free! To add to the fun, the first 200 people get a free concert tee shirt, so make sure to ge...

Matt Cioni, Park Interpreter at Elmore State Park, knows how to have a good time. In addition to fun programs like hiking to Elmore's fire tower, the Jr. Ranger Experience, Nature Art, Soda Can Fishing, and concerts, Matt offers Friday Night Game Night! Check out the events page to see when things are happening. It's a great way to get out some energy, meet new friends, and have some fun. Go to the Beach House at 7pm on Fridays to join! Rain or shine and all ages are welcome. Elmore State Park , located on the shores of Lake Elmore in north central Vermont, has 45 tent/trailer sites and 15 lean-tos. Visitors have several hiking trails to Elmore Mountain and its fire tower nearby. The day use area includes a large sandy beach, a newly renovated historic CCC bathhouse with a concession stand and cafe, restrooms and a rental pavilion, a picnic shelter, numerous tables and grills, a pet-friendly picnic area, and row boat, canoe, and kayak rentals. Call Elmore State Park for mo...

Everything Old is New Again:  Join us in Celebrating the Grand Re-opening of the Historic Elmore Beach House Vermont State Parks, Waterbury, Vermont, June 20, 2011 Elmore Then If you happened to find yourself along the shores of Lake Elmore in 1936, you likely would have witnessed a crew of boys from the Civilian Conservation Corps hand-sawing local wood and sorting away at native stone as they built the original beach house at the newly created Elmore State Park.    Seventy-five years later, with only a few interior changes since the CCC first built it, that original beach house has been completely restored to its former glory, with the historic feel preserved and modern features added to accommodate today’s visitors. Come see it for yourself, first hand, and join us on Saturday, June 25th to celebrate the dedication of the Elmore beach house to the next seventy-five years of enjoyment and recreation for all Vermonters and their visitors: Saturday, June 25, 2011...

As the cooler weather stretches into the valleys and further south in Vermont, the beautiful fall foliage spreads with it. Below are six state parks where the foliage and things to do are in full swing. Underhill State Park , Underhill Center, VT: Pick up great locally grown food at the Old Fashioned Harvest Market ; Do a wine tasting at Boyden Valley Winery ; Listen to a lecture by artists Chris Brown or Pablo Helquera at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT; Hike Mt. Mansfield , VT's highest peak: take a gondola ride up the mountain or drive up Mt. Mansfield's Auto Road; Stroll through the Grist Mill Covered Bridge in Jeffersonville, VT; Celebrate Shelburne's 32nd annual Harvest Festival ; Pick up some historic facts from the Jericho's Snowflake Bentley Museum ("Snowflake" Bentley was the first person to photograph a single snow crystal!). Kettle Pond State Park , Marshfield, VT: Go hungry and leave full after doing a Cabot Creamery tour (free samples...

Get ready for the park season by exploring some great state parks on Vermont Public Television's Outdoor Journal program Tuesday nights at 7:30 PM starting April 6th. The first show takes you to Alburg Dunes State Park , a little gem on Lake Champlain. Also fish for brook trout in some Northeast Kingdom Beaver Ponds and learn about Vermont's Fish & Wildlife Department's northern pike management program. On April 13th visit Emerald Lake State Park to do some bass fishing. Also explore some lesser-traveled waters by canoe and meet a couple of "trout bums" who fish for a living and live to fish. April 20th will take you to Elmore State Park . Also enjoy a trip to Camp Kehoe on Lake Bomoseen where the Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow program introduces wildlife management students to the culture and concepts of hunting. April 27th explore Brighton State Park and Northeast Kingdom lakes in search of burbot, a fresh water codfish also known as cusk. These strange l...