Vermont Field Trips

D.A.R. State Park - Addison
Welcome to D.A.R. State Park. With its picturesque setting on the shores of Lake Champlain, the park provides an ideal setting for anyone seeking a relaxing day visit or an overnight respite. A quiet park, it is popular for its large, open campground, grassy picnic areas and stone pavilion. It is a favorite spot for birdwatchers and provides access to Lake Champlain and an excellent fishery.

Alburg Dunes State Park - Alburg
Welcome to Alburg Dunes. This 625-acre property became a state park in 1996. It is named for the sand dunes near the center and western end of the south-facing natural sand beach. This beach is amongst the longest beaches on Lake Champlain. Come check out the sand Dunes and dune vegetation and wetland .

Appalachian National Scenic Trail - Appalachian Mountains
The People's Path and America's First National Scenic Trail. The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is more than 2,175-mile long footpath stretching through 14 eastern states from Maine to Georgia. Conceived in 1921 and first completed in 1937, it traverses the wild, scenic, wooded, pastoral, and culturally significant lands of the Appalachian Mountains.

Wilgus State Park - Ascutney
Wilgus State Park is a very popular park for canoeists, since it is located on the Connecticut River.

Crystal Lake State Park - Barton
Crystal Lake is approximately three miles long and about one mile in width. In some places it is known to be more than 100 feet deep. It is a glacial lake beautifully situated among roughhewn mountain sides. The beach area has almost a mile of sandy shoreline with a marked swimming area. The large historic granite bathhouse has rest rooms, changing areas, and a concession stand. There are approximately 40 free standing charcoal grills, nearly 80 picnic tables, play areas, rental boats and canoes, and lots of parking space.

Woodford State Park - Bennington
Woodford State Park campground has 103 sites including 20 lean-tos. The heavily wooded area surrounds the reservoir and offers great camping opportunities. Flush toilets, hot showers ($), and a dump station are provided. There is a small beach and picnic area near the dam with pit toilet facilities. Rowboats, canoes, and paddle boats are available for rent. There are several hiking trails, including a 2.7 mile trail around the lake.

Silver Lake State Park - Bethel
Welcome to Silver Lake State Park, located the Barnard Village. Barnard is a classic Vermont hill town surrounded by high rolling hills, dotted with farms and affording many scenic vistas. This busy park is popular for its sandy swimming area, picnic grounds, and camping area.

Fort Dummer State Park - Brattleboro
Fort Dummer State Park, located in the Connecticut River Valley, has 217 acres of forest land just outside of Brattleboro. The park was named after Fort Dummer, the first permanent white settlement in Vermont. Built on the frontier in 1724, it was initially the gateway to the early settlements along the banks of the Connecticut River. Forty-three English soldiers and twelve Mohawk Indians manned the fort in 1724 and 1725. Later, the fort protected what was then a Massachusetts colony from an invasion by the French and Indians. Made of sturdy white pine timber, stacked like a log cabin, Fort Dummer served its purpose well.

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center - Brattleboro
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 1972, with a mission to present art and ideas in ways that inspire, educate, and engage people of all ages. Compelling new exhibits by regional and internationally acclaimed artists are shown each season.

Mt. Philo State Park - Charlotte
The 168-acre park is located atop Mt. Philo (968' elevation) and overlooks the Lake Champlain Valley and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. A narrow, steep road (not recommended for trailers) provides visitors access to the top of the mountain. This is Vermont's oldest state park, created in 1924. There are two small camping areas with a total of 10 sites including 3 lean-tos, located at the top of the mountain and on the mountainside. Flush toilets and hot showers ($) are provided. The mountaintop picnic area offers spectacular views of the lake, valley, and mountains to the west. An enclosed picnic shelter is available for large group gatherings. Hiking trails lead from the summit to the base. Swimming is available at Kingsland Bay State Park (6 miles) or Button Bay State Park (15 miles). There is boating, fishing, and sailing in nearby Lake Champlain.

Emerald Lake State Park - East Dorset
Welcome to 430-acre Emerald Lake State Park. Located conveniently between Manchester and Rutland, the park is popular for its wooded hillside campground, beach and swimming area, and nearby attractions and tourist destinations. The park surrounds 20-acre Emerald Lake, named for the emerald green color of its waters when viewed from above. Restricted to non-motorized watercraft, the lake is ideal for swimming and paddling. The lake also offers anglers an opportunity to catch yellow perch, smallmouth bass, northern pike and other warm-water species. The park is a favorite destination of hikers, with the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail nearby, and trails on Dorset Mountain.

Lake Carmi State Park - Enosburg Falls
There are 140 tent/trailer sites, 35 lean-to sites, and 2 cabins that make this the state's largest campground. Rest rooms have running water and hot showers($). There is a trailer dump station but no hookups. Most sites are large enough to accommodate self-contained RVs. There are swimming beaches in both camp areas. There is also a day use beach with a nature center, rest rooms and rental boats.

Bomoseen State Park - Fair Haven
Welcome to Bomoseen State Park. The 3,576-acre park is located in the Taconic Mountains on the shores of Lake Bomoseen, the largest lake entirely within Vermont’s borders. The Taconics are the slate-producing region of Vermont, and the area's history parallels the rise and fall of Vermont's slate industry. The park contains several quarry holes and their adjacent colorful slate rubble piles as reminders of this period. These quarries provided slate for the West Castleton Railroad and Slate Company, a complex of 60 to 70 buildings that stood between Glen Lake and Lake Bomoseen. Several slate buildings and foundations remain in the park. A self-guided Slate History Trail leads hikers through remnants of this bygone era.

Kingsland Bay State Park - Ferrisburgh
Kingsland Bay State Park is one of Vermont's newest parks and at present has limited services. Much of the 264 acres, along the shores of Lake Champlain, remains as a natural area. The historic Hawley House (1790) is part of the complex. Future public access is planned. This property dates back to the first settlers in Ferrisburgh and has been home to Ecole Champlain, an exclusive girls camp, until the late 1960's. Picnicking, swimming, and toilet facilities are available. There are several buildings available for large group gatherings including family reunions, weddings, and company picnics. There are scenic trails along the shoreline of Lake Champlain. Boating, fishing, and sailing are also popular.

Grand Isle State Park - Grand Isle
Grand Isle State Park is located on, and takes its name from, the largest island in Lake Champlain. The Grand Isle, about fourteen miles long by three miles wide, is also known as South Hero. The Hero Islands were named to commemorate early Vermonters who had served in the American Revolution. The park, located on the east shore of the island off U.S. Route 2, began in 1959 with the purchase of Birchcliff, a private summer resort, by the state of Vermont. The original acquisition of 54 acres came with a hotel-like main building and accompanying rental cabins. The Activity Center in today's park is an original Birchcliff building.

Big Deer State Park - Groton
The campground has 23 tent/trailer sites and 5 lean-tos. The rest room includes hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available at Stillwater, but no hookups. There's easy access to the Nature Center and miles of hiking trails.

Boulder Beach State Park - Groton
The day use area has 75 shaded picnic sites with tables and hibachis. All rest rooms have lavatories and flush toilets. There is 200 feet of beach and swimming area, cartop boat launch, play area, shelter with group facilities, three large parking lots, and a concession stand.

Ricker Pond State Park - Groton
Ricker Pond State Park, established in the 1930’s, is located on the western shores of Ricker Pond and adjacent to the Montpelier-Wells Rail Trail (Cross Vermont Trail). The rocky, tree covered hillsides were originally cloaked with white pine, spruce, hemlock, beech, maple and birch. These were logged by local farmers for lumber, fuel and potash. The logging industry was large-scale for almost 100 years while the railroad was operating. Today, logging is still a vital industry in the area, but has lost some of its dominance in favor of modern society’s leisure time movement - private cottages/seasonal homes and a variety of outdoor recreation activities.

Seyon Lodge State Park - Groton
One of Vermont’s best kept secrets, Seyon Lodge State Park provides rustic and welcoming facilities in the midst of the inspiring beauty of Groton State Forest. Situated on the pristine shores of Noyes Pond, the Lodge provides year-round lodging and meeting facilities for individual guests and groups, including small conferences, retreats,and weddings.

Stillwater State Park - Groton
The campground has 62 tent/trailer sites and 17 lean-tos. All rest rooms include hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available, but no hookups. There is a swimming beach, boat launch/dock facility, play area, shelter, and access to miles of hiking trails. The Groton Nature Center is within walking distance. Stillwater Campground is located on Lake Groton.

Maidstone State Park - Guildhall
Maidstone is the most remote of Vermont's state parks and still retains much of the wilderness character associated with the Northeast Kingdom. Maidstone Lake was created when glacial ice carved out a deep basin in a preexisting valley. When the last glaciers melted 12,000 years ago, a deep, clear, cold lake was formed. Surrounding the park are acres of forest lands that offer miles of logging roads for mountain biking or just walking.

Half Moon Pond State Park - Hubbardton
Nestled away in the forests of 3,500-acre Bomoseen State Park sits the quiet camping area comprising Half Moon Pond State Park. Set in the dense woods of a small, sheltered basin, the park surrounds Half Moon Pond. The campground offers camping for all tastes with its waterfront campsites and lean-tos and five furnished cabins. For those seeking more creature comforts, Tall Timbers Cottage, with its waterfront location and private boat dock, offers all the amenities of home.

Brighton State Park - Island Pond,
The primary attraction of this general area is its remoteness: mountains with tree-covered slopes, fast running rivers and streams, and clear lakes. The land northeast and southeast of Island Pond is especially suited to the angler, the hunter, or the outdoor lover, and is virtually without roads or villages. Logging roads into the deeper reaches of this area are numerous and offer interesting side trips.

Jamaica State Park - Jamaica
Jamaica State Park is located on a bend of the West River about one-half mile from the center of the town of Jamaica. Nearby to the north is Ball Mountain. Hamilton Falls is located about one mile up Cobb Brook, which enters the West River upstream from the park. The West River has a very large drainage area extending from Weston and the south side of Terrible Mountain to Windham on the east and Bromley on the west. Every spring and fall, on one weekend in late April and late September, there is a water release on the West River from Ball Mountain Dam. This is a semiannual event for many kayakers and canoeists from all over New England.

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium - Johnsbury
The Fairbanks Museum was founded in 1889 by St. Johnsbury industrialist Franklin Fairbanks. Inside our classic Victorian building, you'll find a dazzling array of animals and artifacts, dolls and tools, shells and fossils, and much more! Take a trip through the cosmos in Vermont's only public planetarium, and see weather forecasts in the works in our Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery. A full calendar of events, workshops, lectures and field programs invites everyone to explore the nature of our world.

Gifford Woods State Park - Killington
Welcome to Gifford Woods State Park. With its location at the base of Killington and Pico peaks and close proximity to the Appalachian and Long trails, this park is a favorite of hikers. Many through-hikers pass the park on their Appalachian Trail journey from Georgia to Maine. The park is also a popular destination during the fall foliage season for its dramatic autumn colors.

Elmore State Park - Lake Elmore
Elmore State Park is staffed by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), in an educational partnership with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The program strives to teach personal responsibility, life and job skills, and environmental awareness in a community setting.

Belle Isle State Park - Lancaster
The park has seven miles of frontage on the north shore of the Rappahannock, and it borders Deep and Mulberry creeks. It features diverse tidal and nontidal wetlands, lowland marshes, tidal coves and upland forests. Opening soon: Visitor center.

Lowell Lake State Park - Londonderry
Open year round for day use (winter road conditions permitting). Park is undeveloped with no camping or restroom faciliites. Free entry.

Camp Plymouth State Park - Ludlow
Welcome to Camp Plymouth State Park, 295 acres of state lands on the shores of Echo Lake in Plymouth, Vermont. Camp Plymouth is rich in history from the birth of our nation right up to present day.

American Museum of Fly Fishing - Manchester
The museum serves as a repository for, and conservator to, the world's largest collection of angling and angling-related items, numbering in the thousands. Our collections and exhibits thoroughly document the evolution of fly fishing as a sport, art form, craft, and industry in the U.S. and abroad, dating as far back as the 16th century. Rods, reels, flies, tackle, art, photographs, manuscripts, and books form the major portions of the Museum’s collections.

Kettle Pond State Park - Marshfield
As early as 1704 Native Americans and the French were using routes through Groton to reach Canada and Massachusetts. Colonists settled this area of Vermont slightly earlier than the rest of the state due to the accessibility the network of waterways provided. The rocky, tree covered hillsides were originally covered by white pine, spruce, hemlock, beech, maple and birch. They were logged by local farmers for lumber, fuel and potash. The logging industry was large scale for almost 100 years while the railroad was operating. Today, logging is still a vital industry in the area, but has lost some of its dominance in favor of modern society's leisure time movement: private cottages and seasonal homes, park development and a variety of outdoor recreation activities.

New Discovery State Park - Marshfield
The campground has 47 tent/trailer sites and 14 lean-tos. Both rest rooms include hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available, but no hookups. There is a play area and access to miles of hiking trails. A picnic shelter with rest rooms is located at Osmore Pond about one mile from the campground. Also available are five remote campsites.

Henry Sheldon Museum - Middlebury
The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont is the oldest chartered community history museum in the United States, welcoming visitors and researchers since 1882. It offers lively tours, exhibits and programs to enrich our understanding of Vermont’s past. Be sure to visit the Judd-Harris House, built in 1829, showcases a wealth of objects depicting small town life in nineteenth century Vermont.

Sand Bar State Park - Milton
Sand Bar State Park takes its name from a natural sandbar between South Hero Island in Grand Isle County and the town of Milton on the Vermont mainland. Home to beaver, muskrats, racoons, and turtles, it's a seasonal stopover for a great variety of migratory waterfowl and other birds, a waterfowl nesting area, and spawning grounds for many of the lake's fish. Hunting, fishing, and trapping are not allowed on refuge land.

Vermont's History Museum and Library - Montpelier
Our museum's permanent exhibit, Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories, opened in March 2004 and won a national award. The multimedia exhibit, which represents Vermont's history from 1600 to the present, fills 5,000 square feet in the Pavilion building in Montpelier. Visitors walk through time and experience a full-sized Abenaki wigwam, a re-creation of the Catamount Tavern where Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys gathered, a railroad station complete with a working telegraph and a WWII living room furnished with period music and magazines.
Virtual field trip online

Green River Reservoir State Park - Morrisville
Welcome to Green River Reservoir State Park. Green River Reservoir became a state park in March 1999 when 5110 acres were purchased from the Morrisville Water and Light Department. This is not your typical Vermont State Park – Green River Reservoir provides camping and paddling experiences in a remote setting.. All campsites can only be reached by paddling to them - some a 1 to 2-mile paddle from the launch site.

Knight Point State Park - North Hero
Knight Point State Park is home to the Island Center for Arts and Recreation, a community-based non-profit group that works to promote and encourage the splendid natural setting that is Knight Point as a venue for cultural and recreational programming. Expansive lawns are the center of this 54-acre day use park. The lawn becomes meadow west of the developed area, where the forest along the lakeside is a substantial natural feature. Besides stands of mature, windswept oak and maple on the point, hickory and hop hornbeam are found further inland. Tight clusters of cedar trees enhance the beauty and wildlife cover of the area.

Coolidge State Park - Plymouth
A trip to Coolidge State Park is a trip back in time; the park remains essentially the way it was when it was first created in the 1930s. Known for its rustic feel, hillside campsites that give way to dramatic mountain views, and authentic character, Coolidge State Park is the developed recreation centerpiece of the 21,500 acre Calvin Coolidge State Forest, the largest state-owned land holding in central Vermont. Coolidge State Park is the only Vermont park with an entire loop of lean-to campsites, some of which have sweeping views of the Black River valley and the Green Mountains. Many campers feel that sites at Coolidge have the best views in all of Vermont. The park also has a loop of forested campsites, restroom facilities with showers, a hilltop picnic area with log picnic shelter, a group camping area, and several remote lean-to campsites for those wishing to really escape it all.

Lake St. Catherine State Park - Poultney
The park, which consists of 117 acres, first opened as a small picnic and swimming area in 1953. The area is known for its past slate quarrying operations, with remains of slate mills, quarries, and rubble piles still visible. The park itself was once a children's summer camp and farmland. The campground contains 50 tent/trailer sites and 11 lean-to sites. Grassy open areas, wooded sites and lake access make this camping area very popular. Flush toilets, hot showers ($), and a dump station are provided. The park has well-developed picnic, play, and swimming areas. There is a snack bar concession with rowboats and paddle boats rentals. Boating and fishing are popular on the lake.

Branbury State Park - Salisbury
Branbury is located on the eastern shore of Lake Dunmore at the base of Mt. Moosalamoo. The Green Mountain National Forest is its neighbor to the east. Historically, the 69-acre park operated as a farm at the turn of the century, then a guest house, summer boy's camp and private beach and picnic area.

Shaftsbury State Park - Shaftsbury
Lake Shaftsbury State Park is on an 84-acre parcel surrounding the small but picturesque Lake Shaftsbury. The area operated as a private campground/cabin resort before it became a state park in 1974. It has become a popular park facility in southwestern Vermont. Thre is a fully furnished waterfront cottage on the "quiet" side of the park that comfortably sleeps six, with deck and grill. Lake Shaftsbury also operates a group camping area with clusters of lean-tos (15) available throughout the year for scouts, church groups, and other organizations. Pit toilet facilities are available. There is also a developed beach, play area, and picnic area. There is an open picnic shelter/pavilion available for large group gatherings. The snack bar concession has rental rowboats, paddle boats, and canoes. The "Healing Springs Nature Trail" around the lake is also a popular spot.

Burton Island State Park - St. Albans Bay
Burton Island is a 253-acre park off the southwestern tip of St. Albans Point in Lake Champlain’s 'Inland Sea'. The park is accessible only by boat, with the state’s passenger ferry making the 10-minute from Kill Kare State Park.

Kill Kare State Park - St. Albans Bay
Kill Kare State Park is named for Kill Kare, a summer camp for boys, which operated on this site for some fifty years through the mid-1900s. Located on the southwestern tip of St. Albans Point, a three-mile peninsula which defines St. Albans Bay, Kill Kare is surrounded on three sides by the sparkling water of Lake Champlain. In the 1840s, the property was part of a farm owned by C.C. Burton. The three-story building in the center of the park was built in the 1870s and operated as a summer resort hotel until about 1900, when the boys' camp was founded.

Knight Island State Park - St. Albans Bay
Knight Island was farmed historically then was uninhabited for many years. It was a privately operated primitive campground through the 1980s. The owner lived year-round on the island and began a timber management program to supplement the camping operation. Under state ownership, remote area camping is being continued on seven sites dotted around the island. Land management activities are those which will keep the island unique and unspoiled.

Woods Island State Park - St. Albans Bay
Woods Island is a “remote area” campground. Remote Area campsites, while beautiful, are not for everybody. Sanitary facilities are minimal, and there is no potable water supply. Each campsite does have a picnic bench, fire ring and nearby privy. The island’s five campsites are situated approximately equidistant around the two-mile shoreline, and are connected by a trail system. This gives you great privacy, but it also means you’re going to have to walk and carry your own gear from wherever you come ashore. You shouldn’t bring anything you ’re not prepared to carry in and carry out.

Smugglers Notch State Park - Stowe
Smugglers Notch is a narrow pass through the mountain with 1,000 foot cliffs on either side. In the early days, only a footpath and trail for horses existed. Smugglers Notch State Park is a corridor park with developed facilities along VT 108. It consists of a campground, a picnic area, the "Notch" proper, and trailheads to some of the more popular hiking trails in Vermont.

Stone Hut - Stowe
The historic Stone Hut was originally built as a warming hut in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). These same crews cut some of the original ski trails on Mt. Mansfield. Once a home away from home for the ski pioneers of Vermont, it is now operated as a public lodging facility with a unique partnership between the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation and the Stowe Mountain Resort (Mt. Mansfield Company) between Mid-November and Mid-April.

Thetford State Park - Thetford Ctr.
Thetford Hill State Park is another state park developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). During the 1930s, the CCCs built fireplaces, tables, a toilet building, and the main road in the park. The camp area and picnic area presents a great opportunity for quiet and secluded camping and picniking. The park is known for the world class trail system used for running and x-country skiing.

Townshend State Park - Townshend,
Townshend State Park is located at the foot of Bald Mountain on a bend of the West River. There is a view of Rattlesnake Mountain to the north from the ranger's quarters. A hiking trail leads to the summit of the mountain, a vertical climb of 1,100 feet from the campground. Geological features along the trail include waterfalls, chutes, and pools. From the top of the mountain, vistas provide views to the north, south, and east.

Underhill State Park - Underhill Center
Underhill is within Vermont's 34,000-acre Mt. Mansfield State Forest. On the headwaters of the Brown's River, at about 2,000 feet elevation, the park lies on the west slope of 4,300 feet Mt. Mansfield, the state's highest peak. Just over the summit ridge is the Stowe ski area, one of North America's original ski resorts.

Button Bay State Park - Vergennes
Button Bay, a 253-acre park, is located on a bluff in Ferrisburgh along the 130-mile long Lake Champlain. Historically, the area has been visited by such notables as Samuel De Champlain (1609), Ethan Allen (1776), Ben Franklin (1776), and Benedict Arnold (1777). What once operated as a farm, opened as a state park in 1964. The park is so named for the button-like concretions formed by clay deposits found along the shoreline.

Little River State Park - Waterbury
Little River State Park, which is part of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, primarily consists of a campground with 81 tent/trailer sites and 20 leantos. This is central Vermont's largest and most popular campground. Three of the four restrooms include hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available, but no hookups. Within the campground, there are swimming beaches, play areas, a boat launch, ballfield, nature museum and programs, and boat rentals. Adjacent to the park are miles of hiking trails (open for day use) that take in the rich cultural and natural history of the area.

Waterbury Center State Park - Waterbury Center
The park is located on a 90-acre peninsula with 22 picnic sites, tables, hibachis, swimming beach, nature trail, trailer boat ramp, boat rentals, concession area and restrooms.

Quechee State Park - White River Junction
Quechee Recreation Area is a large park spread out over a vast area. It is unique in that 611 acres of the park are not owned by the state, but leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The tract of land, which is leased from the Corps, contains the campground, picnic area, and utility building.

Molly Stark State Park - Wilmington
Welcome to Molly Stark State Park, named for the famous wife of General John Stark of the Revolutionary War. The park is located along the Molly Stark Trail Scenic Byway (State Route 9), the main east-west route in Southern Vermont that connects Brattleboro, Wilmington and Bennington. Two camping loops consist of 23 tent/trailer sites and 11 lean-to sites. One rest room with showers ($) is located in each loop. There are a play area and a picnic pavilion for large groups. A hiking trail starts from the park and goes up to the Mt. Olga fire tower.

Ascutney State Park - Windsor

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park - Woodstock
Green Pastures and Green Mountains - Walk through one of Vermont's most beautiful landscapes, under the shade of sugar maples and 400-year-old hemlocks, across covered bridges and alongside rambling stone walls. This is a landscape of loss, recovery, and conservation. This is a story of stewardship, of people taking care of places - sharing an enduring connection to land and a sense of hope for the future.