Burton lsland State Park has to be the ultimate in the camping experience ! I have frequented many parks over my lifetime, and Burton Island is among the happiest in my camping experiences . There is not one draw-back that l can think of here. It has epic beauty. The trees and forests with lake views are magnificent. Everything is sanitary. Vermont people are exceedingly clean and conscientious about their surroundings. Camp sites are pristine. Restrooms are equipped and clean and accessible. If you are counting on an amazing camping trip, look forward to visiting Burton lsland ! read more

As we are driving home to Boston we are feeling incredibly thankful to have visited Burton Island State Park. By far our favorite campground we've been to. Park at Kill Kare State Park and take the Island Runner to Burton Island, about a 10 minute ride. The ferry crew help to load your items onto the boat and you can pay $10 to have it delivered to your site.  Upon boarding the ferry, crew member Morgan welcomed us and gave us an overview of the Island and how everything worked. She recommended alternative swimming areas and prime sunset viewing spots. Morgan remembered us on our way back a few days later. She really made our visit that much more memorable, and the rest of the staff were super friendly as well. The island is equipped with showers & bathrooms (don't forget quarters!), trash & recycling recepticals, water spickets, kayak & canoe rentals, and weekly nature/survival lessons for kids. There are a few hiking trails and even some secret spots where you can post up and hang on the water for the day.   They offer traditional tent sites and lean-tos - some of which are right on the water. We plan to book one of these next time. Wood is available for purchase but be sure to ask for dry wood depending on recent weather conditions. The best spot about BI is the store, which is stocked with pretty much everything camping-related: beer & wine, drinks, snacks, ice, souveniers, etc. The store has a small kitchen with a grill and they make sandwiches and sides cooked to order. All of it is reasonably priced, and they accept credit/debit cards. Overall this experience was a very unique one but extremely rewarding. I highly recommend visiting Burton Island!!! read more

See all

Awesome place to camp. Since it's an island, it doesn't have the animal scavenger problem typical of campgrounds.No cars means the noise of civilization is cut down & kids can ride bikes without worry. Only downside is that the store on the island is privately owned & if you're there outside of late June or July, the store hours are completely random. read more

If you look at a map of Vermont, or skim through the mountains (haha) of travel guides on Vermont, you might see Burton Island State Park listed or identified as just another Vermont State Park. You'd imagine some gate where you pay to get in, a parking area, a beach maybe, a picnic area, a few hibachi grills and some restrooms strewn about. Your initial image may be somewhat correct, YES Burton Island State Park is part of the Vermont State Park system. It does have all of the normal amenities you'd find in state parks in Vermont. But for sure, it's also unlike ANY other state park here that I've ever been to. If you've never been before, here's what to expect: 1. The only access to the park is by lake ferry or personal boat craft. Yes Burton ISLAND is an island! It also does not allow motor vehicles (it's a passenger ferry only). For those of you without your own boat, you can catch the ferry at Kilkare State Park in St. Albans. 2. You will be charged $4 per person to ride the ferry. If you are a hardcore outdoor camper, you can also drop off your gear near the ferry dock and the ferry crew will help you load it aboard. You can even load bikes aboard or dogs but don't expect to bring your kayak, canoe or such..you'll be expected to paddle those things over to the island yourself! 3. The ferry ride is only about 10-15 minutes across a small channel of Lake Champlain separating Hathaway Point and the island. The ferry docks on the North Eastern side of the island near the marina and store. 4. If you've reserved a campsite, you can check in right off the ferry dock and arrange gear delivery to your site via a tractor hitched flatbed for $10.If you're traveling light, you can also just pick up a wheeled cart to cart your stuff over yourself for free. 5. Around the marina is the day use picnic areas and docks. All are also great for fishing (well stocked with hungry fish). There is also a public beach off the marina area with a wooden raft set up you can swim to and get some rays on. 6. The store near the marina has all of the things you can think of for camping gear and kid fun stuff. It also has beverages, wine, food stuffs, cubed ice and meats fine for grilling. The store also doubles as a great little Bistro that sells sandwiches and breakfasts. The food is excellent and Juanita at the helm uses only fresh ingredients for all of the things I've tasted there (breakfast sandwiches, salads, deli sandwiches). The food and items sold here may be a bit pricey, but where else are you going to go? 7. The campsites come in 3-4 flavors: regular tentsite areas, lean-to areas, lakefront lean-to areas and paddler sites. The paddler sites sit on the eastern coast and can only be reserved by folks taking their own canoes or kayaks to the sites. All sites have a fire pit with fold over grills, good ground to pitch a tent or two on and all within short walking distance of potable water spigots strewn about the island. 8. The island has all kinds of wide roads to access sites along with hiking trails. The trails can get you to nice out of the way bays to swim in on rocky beaches. There is also a nature center that has daily events and learning activities for kids and adults too. 9. There are two large restroom areas that also have shower facilities (coin-op hot water). Generally they are kept clean and in good working order. The paddler sites also have in closer proximity some more archaic type outhouses but they are also kept in clean shape. There are also waste/recycling bins to get rid of your camp waste before the raccoons get into it! The staff that work here seem to love what they do. Everything is well cared for and they seem to really work hard to keep campers happy. The quiet hours after 10pm appear to be more heavily enforced than at other parks. The ranger will drive the roads and sit in spots to hear for noisy campers after hours. I really appreciate a quiet camping night's sleep! Dogs are required to be on leashes and I also know that they try to enforce that rule as well. There is a dog area on the Northeastern tip of the island where you can let dogs run leash free. I love everything about camping at this beautiful park! My only complaint is the lack of a cancellation process. Lean-to reservations are hard to come by and it appears many people don't show up for their reserved days so sites just sit empty. There's no enforcement of cancellations so reservations just are wasted on people who don't come out to the sites. I'd like to see this change in the future. If you LOVE camping and the outdoors, I say give Burton Island a try. It's a fun, relaxing "get away" for State Park prices! read more

Burton Island is amazing, the ferry captains are so polite and a joy to talk to. BUT then you get off the boat and go to the office. The Park Ranger is the rudest person I think I have every met. I went up to the office their were a handful of women sitting in the officer and the Park Ranger was swearing and talking horribly about others including her own staff. I stood on the steps waiting to be noticed for what seemed to be a life time and was horrified. Then I got the joy (NOT) of working with her. She was beyond rude and I didn't really say anything because I was floored someone working in management, in front of her staff and customer service could be that rude to a customer. I would not recommend going and spending any time at Burton Island until they change staff starting with the Park Ranger. OMG she is a nightmare!! read more