Vermont State Parks

Knight Point State Park has FREE entry during the Festival of the Islands. Popular for swimming and picnicking, Knight Point is the perfect place to visit, relax, and enjoy your family and friends during this three day celebration in the beautiful Champlain Islands. Five towns in the Champlain Islands, Grand Isle, Alburg, North Hero, South Hero, and Isle La Motte will offer a variety of special events including: retail sales, art sales and exhibits, fund raising community meals, concerts, wine tastings, garden tours, arts & crafts shows, flea markets, and farmer's market & farm stands. Other State Parks in the islands are also offering free special events with paid park entry, such as Grand Isle State Park where The Bee Line Ramblers will entertain at 7:00 PM on Saturday, July 31st, and Sand Bar State Park will have Folk By Association performing at 2:00 PM on Sunday, August 1. For more information on events in the parks, visit our Events webpage . Visit

Lake Carmi State Park and Crystal's Snack Bar (located in the park) are excited to invite all military personnel (active, reserve, or national guard) to Military Appreciation Day at Lake Carmi State Park on Sunday, August 1, 2010. Show your military ID (active or retired) and receive FREE entry into the park for the day. Plus, your children ages 10 and under are FREE too! Crystal's Snack Bar would like to also treat the men and women of the armed forces with 25% off anything on their menu! Bring the family to enjoy a day at the beach and fun activities like horse shoes, basketball, volleyball, and swimming! A rain date for this event is scheduled for August 8th.

Moscow, Vermont lays claim to the World's Shortest Forth of July Parade (Route). Not to be outdone, Smugglers' Notch State Park , Moscow's neighbors to the North, remains uncontested for the fifth year in a row for their self proclaimed title of the "World's Smallest Fourth of July Parade." Consisting of a single golf car affectionately named "Dora the Explorer" draped in flags and other patriotic finery that was largely donated by the community, enthusiastic park staff circle the park during the day sometimes drawing crowds numbering in the 10's of people! When asked about the rivalry Park Ranger Aaron Jacobs said "What?" Although Mr. Jacobs played coy it is rumored that all employees involved in the preparation and execution of this event take it very seriously, are sworn to secrecy and meet in a undisclosed portion of the park garage for preparation and planning. Nancy Tillman, a park guest who once thumbed through a copy of the Guin...

You may have heard of the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge - a statewide, outside scavenger hunt. Similar to this program, but designed for licensed child care providers with younger children, Outdoor S'more! is a new program encouraging kids to explore the outdoors (and get rewarded for it). Outdoor S'more! activities range from collecting seeds and sorting them by how they feel (10 points) to finding shapes in nature (5 points per shape). Once the group reaches 100 points, the group sends in photos of them completing activities, their scorecard (shown right), and any other supporting documents, such as artwork or writing, to Vermont State Parks. The reward is a FREE day use visit for the whole group to any of the 52 Vermont State Parks! Score sheets are being mailed to all licensed day care providers in Vermont. You can celebrate completing the challenge by having a picnic, playing games, or going for a hike in your favorite park. For more information on how your day care g...

One of the challenges of the Venture Vermont Challenge under the INVENT category is to "Create your own outside food recipe (one you enjoy cooking and eating outside)". Many campers have made chicken & vegetable packets over a fire, but Jessica Rouse, Meg Baker, and Asa Rouse-Baker have perfected a few that are sure to please - (and you can earn 10 points towards the Venture Vermont Challenge by making this!) Visit our family camping menu ideas webpage for more. Below are their family's favorite combinations: • Cubed chicken, onions diced, apple chunks, sweet potato chunks, salt, and thyme • 1 T soy sauce, powdered or fresh ginger, cubed chicken, red pepper chunks, diced onions • Cubed chicken, diced onion, 2-3 T yogurt, apple chunks, chickpeas, and 1 t cumin Add about a cup total of chicken & veggies, wrap in aluminum foil and put on coals of the fire for about 15 minutes. Helpful Tip: You can use ketchup to mark the exterior of the foil packets with initials s...

One of the challenges of the Venture Vermont Challenge under the INVENT category is to "Create your own outside food recipe (one you enjoy cooking and eating outside)". Many campers have made chicken & vegetable packets over a fire, but Jessica Rouse, Meg Baker, and Asa Rouse-Baker have perfected a few that are sure to please - (and you can earn 10 points towards the Venture Vermont Challenge by making this!) Visit our family camping menu ideas webpage for more. Below are their family's favorite combinations: • Cubed chicken, onions diced, apple chunks, sweet potato chunks, salt, and thyme • 1 T soy sauce, powdered or fresh ginger, cubed chicken, red pepper chunks, diced onions • Cubed chicken, diced onion, 2-3 T yogurt, apple chunks, chickpeas, and 1 t cumin Add about a cup total of chicken & veggies, wrap in aluminum foil and put on coals of the fire for about 15 minutes. Helpful Tip: You can use ketchup to mark the exterior of the foil packets with initials s...

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...