Vermont's Best State Parks
Burton Island State Park
A 253-acre island located off the southwestern tip of St. Albans Point via
Vermont Route 36 in Lake Champlain. It is only accessible by boat-either the
visitor's or the park ferry which takes about 10 minutes for each of the 6 daily
crossings from Kill Kare State Park. The park has 43 campsites (26 with leantos,
restrooms with flush toilets and hot showers, and a boat marina with 100 slips
and 15 moorings. The only motor vehicles on the island are park service
vehicles. The marina has dockside water and electricity available. There is also
a marine holding-tank pumpout facility, fuel service, and a park store with food
service. The park also has a nature center/museum and nearly 4 miles of trails.
Being on the island is really getting away from your problems. It is quiet and
very peaceful.
Coolidge State Park
Located within 17,949 acre Coolidge State Forest just off Vermont Route 100A
in Plymouth, it has 60 campsites (35 with leantos), sanitary dump station, flush
toilets, hot showers, and many miles of hiking trails. Nearby is President
Calvin Coolidge Homestead, a historic site that attracts thousands of visitors
each year. Coolidge is a favorite forested mountain park since it was built by
the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The log leantos and stone
restroom building are in nearly as good condition today as they were when they
were built, evidence of the quality of work this group did in building the
nation's national and state park systems. Campers at Coolidge State Park have
the opportunity to swim, boat, picnic and hike at nearby Camp Plymouth State
Park without charge.
Silver Lake State Park
Located in the village of Barnard, just off Vermont Route 12, this 35 acre
park has 47 campsites (7 with leantos), sanitary dump station, flush toilets,
hot showers, picnic area, swimming beach, boat rentals and a picnic shelter
popular for weddings, company picnics, birthday celebrations and family
reunions. This beautiful little park is in a very picturesque village on a gorgeous
lake within 10 miles of Vermont's only national park - Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
National Historic Park, which focuses on forest and land conservation.
If you were to ask for a fourth, I would probable pick Mount Philo State Park in Charlotte. It is a 168 acre park that covers most of the mountain located 15 miles south of Burlington just off US Route 7. There is a road to the top where fantastic views of the New York Adirondacks, Lake Champlain, the Champlain Valley farmlands, and the Green Mountains of Vermont can be enjoyed. The park only has 10 campsites (3 with leantos), a picnic shelter and hiking trails. This is another park built by the CCCs in the 1930s.
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