Vermont State Parks

Tiny mushrooms growing on a log in Woodford State Park - B. Steele A sign of spring you may have overlooked in your yard is mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of larger fungi growing underground, or in a rotting log. There are some cool mushrooms coming out right now that you may be able to find in your own yard because my daughter and I have been finding them. Holding a puffball. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we live right in town, but we live in Vermont so even though we have an incredibly small yard, we have an abandoned pasture to explore nearby. Luckily, we have great neighbors who share this space with us, and they had the whole pasture brush hogged late last fall. This makes it easy to explore and find interesting things like mushrooms. The first really cool mushrooms we found the other day are these round, potato looking, apple sized mushrooms. Using our National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mushrooms , we identified these as tumbling puffball ...

Family hiking on trail It's time for our yearly PSA: Please, stay off muddy trails during mud season! Conditions are  variable this time of year: dry in places, snow and mud in others. Respect trail closure  signs and turn around if you encounter muddy conditions. Continue to practice social distancing and following all Vermont Department of Health recommendations and guidelines. For updates on Vermont State Parks and COVID-19, click here .  Spring is in the air! The birds are singing, flowers are starting to pop up, and the snow is melting. While cabin fever may drive you to hit the trail, make sure to remember we’re entering Vermont’s fifth season:  MUD SEASON . What is mud season? End of winter snow-melt and early spring rain make many trails wet and muddy. The wet soils on and around hiking trails are very susceptible to erosion at this critical time of year. Hikers walking on saturated soils or the sides of trails cause damage to sur...

Sit spots are great places to journal.  Doing your best to distantly socialize, but you’re tired of the same old thing? We’ve got your back. Our carefully curated list of activities can help you connect with nature and get ready for your next big adventure. These activities can be done within the comfort of your own home or backyard (just remember to follow current advice from the Vermont Department of Health ). Find a sit spot. Sit spots can be any area in your yard or a view from a window. This is a great way to take in the world around you and build mindfulness in an easy way. Step 1 - Pick a spot you like near a tree, in a field, or at a window with a good view. Step 2 - Sit, look, listen, and observe. What do you see, hear and smell? Step 3 - Repeat as often as necessary. Try different times of day. What changes? What stays the same? Birding.   Did you see a bird fly by or heard one sing, but you’re not sure what kind? The Cornell Lab of Ornitholo...

It's that time of year again and Venture Vermont is back! That means it's time to get ready for exciting adventures in Vermont State Parks this year. This year's Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge just started on April 1st and the challenges are better than ever this year! This popular statewide scavenger hunt invites participants to download a score sheet and complete fun outdoor activities. You take photographs of your activities to keep track of what you've done. When you reach 250 points, all you have to do is send us your score sheet  along with your photos and you will receive a VIP Gold Coin, good for free park entry for the rest of 2011 and all of 2012! You will also have the chance to tackle some weekly bonus challenges that you can add to your scorecard, these will be posted on the Venture Vermont Page instead of Facebook this year. Check back often so you don't miss the bonus challenges as they change weekly! With challenges such a...

The Lois McClure Schooner The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) is partnering with Vermont State Parks to host a music and food festival to benefit the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund. Not only is there FREE admission into the park all day, but fun activities will be happening all day too, such as a farmer's market, performances, vendors from across the state will be selling local goods, and the regular activities that Kingsland Bay offers - hiking, picnicking, space for games, and more. To add to the special festivities, the LCMM is bringing along a historic ship. The Lois McClure Schooner will be docked on the shores of Kingsland Bay State Park for viewing all day, October 8th. Visitors enjoy a day of music and fun Download a poster of this special event here  or for more information visit http://lcmm.org/our_fleet/lois_mcclure_schedule.htm . Kingsland Bay State Park 's 264 acres sit on the picturesque shores of Lake Champlain, which is...

I ts back, and ready.  Are you?.  This year's Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge is better than ever and begins Friday, April 1st. This popular statewide scavenger hunt invites participants to download a score sheet and complete fun outdoor activities.  You take photographs of your activities to keep track of what you've done. When you reach 250 points, you send us your score sheet and photos.  You will receive a VIP Gold Coin, good for free park entry for the rest of 2011 and all of 2012! You'll have fun and never run out of things to do this summer.   Over 350 people participated last year, and we hope you will join in the fun for this year. There are three main rules to the challenge: 1.  Fill out one score card per person 2.  Take photos of all your activities 3.  Have a blast! If you would like to do the challenge as a family, you can take group photos, but each family member will need their own score sheet. Check out the vide...