Vermont State Parks

Hepatica at Niquette Bay - Lisa Liotta Spring is full of fresh starts (including the  Parks Operating Season ). As Park Staff prepared for the park season, Niquette Bay State Park began filling with spring wildflowers. Niquette Bay State Park houses many wildflower colonies that put on a beautiful show for just a few weeks this time of year. Learn what makes these short-lived beauties so special and what types of flowers you might find! What are Spring Ephemerals? These are unique early blooming wildflowers that grow, flower, and seed all in the very short 6-8 week window before the shade from leaf trees covers the forest floor.  By the time deciduous trees have leaves, these flowers will be gone. Where do they grow? The best location to find these is in a predominately hardwood, deciduous forest with large trees and little undergrowth.  They can grow very well on rocky ledges in less-than-ideal soil conditions. These plants are usually very small and begin growing under...

Paddlers at Brighton State Park enjoying fall colors. Days are getting shorter, nights are chilly and some stray trees have started to turn red, orange and gold. Summer may be over, but about half of our parks are open through Indigenous People’s Day, and a select few are open even later. Stop by for a visit and enjoy the cooler weather (and fewer bugs). Fall is a great time for camping, hiking, paddling, or getting in one final picnic before the earmuffs come on. Below is our late season operating list: Parks Open Until Sept 12 Stillwater Parks Open Until Sept 26 Camp Plymouth Parks Open Until October 11 Branbury Brighton Button Bay Coolidge Elmore Emerald Lake Fort Dummer Green River Reservoir Half Moon Pond Jamaica Kettle Pond Kingsland Bay Lake Carmi Lake St. Catherine Lake Shaftsbury Molly Stark New Discovery Niquette Bay Ricker Pond Waterbury Center Wilgus Woodford Parks Open Until October 16 Grand Isle Underhill  - last camping day Parks Open Until...