Vermont State Parks

A chickadee eats from a snowy feeder at Knight Point. Is your New Year’s resolution to spend more time outside, but you need a little motivation to brave the cold?  Whether you’re at home or in  a state park , j oining an online wildlife watching community is a great way to learn more about the natural world, to connect with other nature enthusiasts, and to encourage yourself to get outside this winter. 

Newly built Eagle Cabin Park Ranger, Eric Hanson, jokes that when asked, the famous flying squirrels (which can be seen in the photo launching off of the Ranger's House chimney) give two thumbs up to the new cabins in Wilgus State Park . When pressed, he admits that they always give two thumbs up when flying off the roof. Inside a cabin at Wilgus Nonetheless, the beautiful new cabins, Eagle and Osprey, have just been opened and are ready for visitors. Similar to the cabins in other parks, Brighton , Button Bay , Gifford Woods , Grand Isle , Half Moon , Lake Carmi , Little River , and Ricker Pond , Wilgus' cabins offer room for up to four guests on bunk beds and a futon or sleeper couch. A table, two chairs, an electric outlet, a covered front porch, and outside fire ring with a cooking grate all come with it too. Rocky gives the new cabins at Wilgus two "thumbs up" In addition to the new cabins, Wilgus State Park has 2 other cabins, 17 tent sit...

by Eric Bouchard, Assistant Ranger Smugglers' Notch Ever so gracefully do these winged creatures of the night, Flutter and soar in the pale moonlight, With brilliant shade of green this creature doth glow, And dance fancy free for the evening show. ~EWB Smugglers' Notch has attracted some bizarre, yet stunning visitors to the park as of late. These visitors of whom I speak, are not our campers, but a species of moth that is unlike anything I, personally, have ever seen before. The species to which I am referring is the Luna Moth. Seen left, the Luna Moth (a.k.a. the Giant Silkworm Moth) with its brilliant pale green wings, a white body, and pinkish legs, sports an impressive wingspan that can reach 4 ½ inches. Once common throughout the US, sightings of this beautiful creature have diminished due to spikes in pollution and habitat loss. Females, who lay their eggs, roughly 200, on the underside of black walnut tree leaves, live long enough for that purpose only. In fact, the a...

As spring turns toward summer, Seyon Lodge has seen a variety of guests, weather, wildlife and cuisine. During the last weekend of May, deep into the green drake hatch, the weather became finicky. Sunday morning brought rain showers, and then it cleared with temperatures in the sunshine reaching over 60 degrees. Suddenly wind gusts o f 50 mpg drastically decreased the temperature The subsequent precipitation fell in the form of snow. By the end of the evening, temperatures dropped into the high twenties. During a recent civil union, a dragonfly hatch blessed the party with its amazing transformation. Dragonflies are not the least of the wildlife sightings at Seyon Lodge State Park . Square-tail brook trout, garter snakes, beaver, white-tailed deer, frogs, toads, mink, woodcock, flickers, robins, great blue heron and ruby-throated hummingbirds are among some of the animals that have been spotted in the park. The flora is also taking off as summer approaches. All the leaves on the trees ...