Vermont State Parks

A family paddles to their remote campsite at Waterbury Reservoir. Each year, more than 75,000 visitors enjoy the natural and recreational opportunities offered at Vermont’s 863-acre Waterbury Reservoir. Little River State Park, Waterbury Center State Park, and the surrounding Mt. Mansfield State Forest land offer access to boating, swimming, paddling, fishing, camping, hiking, and mountain biking. The recently improved boat launches at the Waterbury Dam, Blush Hill, and Moscow Paddlers’ access areas have allowed easier access for boaters and remote campers. The 27 popular remote campsites along the reservoir perimeter can be reserved in advance online at www.vtstateparks.com , or through the parks reservation call center at 1-888-409-7579. While there is no fee for the campsite itself this year, there will be an $8 reservation transaction fee to cover the costs of reservation processing.  Since 2012, Vermont State Parks has worked on managing use, developing remote campsites in a...

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation invites you to a public open house about  Bingham Falls, the popular waterfall in Stowe, Vermont. The open house will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at the Stowe Akeley Memorial Building from 6:30 – 9:00pm. Bingham Falls has become one of the popular destinations in Stowe for visitors to the area and is also loved by locals. The primary attraction at Bingham Falls is a series of stunning cascades, gorges, and pools collectively referred to as Bingham Falls. The West Branch of the Little River flows through the center of the property and is surrounded by steep forested hillsides to the east and west making this a unique natural place to visit. The consultant team of SE Group, Timber & Stone, LLC and Grenier Engineering has completed a site assessment of the Bingham Falls parcel, which is part of Smugglers’ Notch State Park and Mt. Mansfield State Forest. We are looking for community feedback on what featur...

Now that the snow has melted and the temperatures are warmer, most of us want to get outside and hike! But, mud season is not a good time for hiking in certain areas. Rain and melting snow at higher elevations are keeping many of Vermont's hiking trails wet and muddy. When hikers tramp on saturated soils, they cause soil compaction and erosion as well as damage to the trail and surrounding vegetation. Please help protect the fragile trails this time of year by staying off muddy trails. Higher elevation soils take longer to dry out. This year mud season is early. A trail may be dry at the trailhead, but is muddy at a higher elevation this time of year. If you notice this happening, please turn around! Trails at lower elevations, dirt roads, and recreation paths provide excellent places for early spring walking. Below is a list of great places to hike during mud season and please visit our hiking page at http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/hikingtrails.htm...