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. ...

As the landscape of Vermont is exploding with fall colors, five Vermont State Parks are also gearing up to go out with a bang. Most of the parks close after Columbus Day weekend, but these parks stay open a little longer. See why they are great parks to visit this time of year. Looking out over Lake Champlain Gifford Woods : Set in the southern Green Mountains, this park is the perfect base camp for some great hikes . Easily connect to the famous Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail, or take a trail to Deer Leap Overlook (a popular favorite). The foliage here is peaking, so make sure to bring your camera when exploring. You won't want to miss these photo opportunities. Also, for those wanting to camp, you can reserve a lean-to site or cabin in addition to regular tent/RV sites. Call the park to reserve your spot, 802-775-5354. Smugglers' Notch : This park is another perfect base camp for hiking. Take some challenging trails to the summit of Mt. Mansfield, the highe...

A northern pike Concessions Manager, DJ Collise, couldn't think of many things he'd rather be doing than fishing on Silver Lake . He took some time to give us the inside scoop on this sport and a little more about the man behind the fish. First, where are you from and when did you first pick up a rod? I was actually born in Cuba. Both my parents were in the navy, but I was raised in Claremont, New Hampshire. My Dad taught me to fish when I was about eight years old and I've been fishing ever since. I used to do fly fishing, but I really like catching bigger fish, so now I do spinner fishing. How long have you been fishing on Silver Lake? Hmmmm, about 5 years. What types of fish are in these photos? The long ones are northern pike the shorter ones are large-mouth bass. Silver Lake also has many catfish and perch.  They are huge! Is this a fluke or do you normally see these large fish in Silver Lake? Well, I do lots of tournaments, all over the state, so I ...

The Annual Vermont Days Celebration is this weekend, June 11-12th. Free day entry into any Vermont State Park, free fishing on Saturday, June 11 (no fishing license required that day!), and free entry into any Vermont Historic Site are some of the many perks of the weekend. Check out the events page for a full listing of what's happening in the parks - VINS Raptor Encounter programs, music, treasure hunts, loon watch boating, arts and crafts, nature hikes, birding, and many other fun events are being held in specific parks. If you are still looking for things to do, try completing a few Venture Vermont challenges and play your way towards earning the big prize. Take some time to explore a few hiking trails and get some of the best views of Vermont. Many of the trails have incredible summit views. On a clear day, you can see for miles! Great summit trails include Mt. Mansfield out of Underhill or Smugglers' Notch State Park, Rattlesnake Point out of Branbury State Park ,...

So, we're trying an experiment... Burton Island's Marina will continue to be open through the 1st and 2nd week after Labor Day! Come enjoy the beautiful waters and great fishing of Lake Champlain, as well as one of the best places for swimming and picnicking. 15 boat moorings and a 100-slip marina with Wi-Fi connection, dockside electricity, fuel service, and a marine holding-tank pumpout facility plus 3 miles of shoreline, hiking trails make Burton Island a very unique state park. For those wanting to visit after Labor Day, the bath house will be open, wood will be available, and the inner marina will have electricity. For reservations call 802-524-6353.

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...

Greetings from Seyon Lodge State Park ! Today the sun is shining and reflects in a beautiful way off the new green foliage on the trees and plants of the forest. Flowers in hanging baskets swing in the breeze that keep the black flies at bay, and the anglers that head out to the pond are in for some good fishing, I hear. Speaking of fishing...Leighton Wass, a frequent angler and new friend of mine, is about to visit Seyon for the 200th time to go fishing on the pond! He has been coming to Seyon since 1987 and for the last 22 years has never been "skunked" during his fishing trips here. Since I have known him, Leighton's love for this special place has been apparent; he always has a nice thing to say about the way the park looks or the good fishing on the pond...it's nice to see someone so content and appreciative of the outdoors. If you get a chance to meet Leighton, you will know what I mean. We congratulate him on his 200th fishing trip to Seyon and look forward to...