Vermont State Parks

  2022 Contest Theme... Share your TREE-mendous Story! This year’s theme celebrates the connections we share with trees &  showcases a meaningful experience or memory enjoyed because of the trees in our lives.  Students were asked to write a short story and create art illustrating their chosen tree.      Thanks to all students and teachers who participated this year, we truly enjoyed seeing all your creativity & observations come alive!

Contact:  Nick Caputo, Northeast Parks Regional Manager Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation | Agency of Natural Resources (802) 479-8587, nick.caputo@vermont.gov MONTPELIER – Each year, more than 75,000 visitors enjoy the natural and recreational opportunities offered at Vermont’s 863-acre Waterbury Reservoir. Little River State Park, Waterbury Center State Park, and the surrounding Mt. Mansfield State Forest offer access to boating, swimming, paddling, fishing, camping, hiking, and mountain biking. The recently upgraded boat launches at the Waterbury Dam, Blush Hill, and Moscow paddlers’ access areas have allowed easier access for boaters and remote campers. Beginning May 2, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., all 27 remote campsites along the reservoir perimeter will become available to reserve for any date in the 2022 operating season.  Beginning June 1, 2022, at 9:00am, reservations for the 2023 season will become available to be reserved up to 11 months in advance like at other V...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:     April 1, 2022                CONTACT:   Becca Washburn, VT Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation, becca.washburn@vermont.gov             Protect Vermont’s Hiking and Biking Trails During Mud Season Vermont – The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) wants to remind the public that it is mud season and many trails around the state are closed through Memorial Day weekend. Mud season is the time period (typically the duration of April and May), when hiking and biking trails are extremely wet and muddy due to the combined effects of snow melt, thawing ground, and seasonal rain. We ask the public to avoid muddy, soft trails, especially at high elevations, in order to protect the trails, protect alpine vegetation, and leave trails in good shape for the hiking and biking season. “Trail organizations and land managers, along...

Parks may be cold, but recruitment season is heating up! We know there are incredible future park staff in each and every one of our communities and we can’t operate our parks without great people! To make sure our future state parks all-stars have their chance to shine, we need your help to spread the word to every corner of Vermont. Our goal is to hang fliers in every county in the state, in every community location possible. That’s where you come in. We are looking for volunteers to flyer around the state and in return, volunteers will receive a free 10-punch day use pass that never expires.   How do can you participate? Request to be part of the program by emailing parks@vermont.gov your name, mailing address, and phone number and indicate which county you wish to flyer. Hang 20 Vermont State Parks employment posters on sanctioned bulletin boards and other appropriate locations (with permission when required) in your community and surrounding communities. Great locati...

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. 

Start 2022 on the right foot with a beautiful hike. On January 1, 2022, everyone is invited to join a free, guided, family-friendly hike taking place at many state parks and forests across Vermont. Hikes will be led by professional guides and outdoor educators eager to share their knowledge and love of Vermont’s outdoors.  Don’t need a guide? No matter where you live in Vermont, a state park or state forest is always close by, and you can still get outside to enjoy it. State Park entry is free on New Year’s Day (and all winter long). You’ll discover a whole new world in winter. Please dress for the weather and bring traction aids and/or snowshoes depending on conditions. Please bring beverages and snacks. Contact hike leaders to pre-register. Hike leaders will contact you with more details and information about your hike. Check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more information and more hikes as they are added. Guided Hikes to Join Allis State Park Hike Guide: Rebec...

A porcupine scuttling through the Vermont woods. I’ve been seeing lots of porcupines lately while wandering in the woods, watching the movement of white- tailed deer and the changing of seasons here in Vermont. Evening visits to Gifford Woods State Park and Allis State Park are overlapping with porcupine activity more and more. Porcupines don’t vanish out of view quickly like coyotes or other nocturnal animals. I frequently see them because they are not in a hurry to get away from me; they waddle along very slowly. Their defense is not speed or agility, but the prickly quills garnishing their backsides. If you have experienced a curious dog and a close porcupine encounter, you already know why I sweep the trail ahead of me carefully with a bright headlamp during evening walks in porcupine territory. I don’t want to find out how it feels to take a shin full of barbed porcupine quills. There is one porcupine I have been seeing regularly on my favorite walking loop. The very first encou...