So beautiful and serene. I was surrounded by green glades and towering trees. There were trails and…read morea lot of accessible water. The park staff went out of their way to be kind and generous. You can tell how much they love nature. I felt safe at night from animals and people. The bathroom fadcilities were very clean and I never had a problem using them.

This park was voted as one of the top five parks in the views category in Vermont and they knew…read morewhat they are talking about. This park offers so much from a nice campground (and horse campground) to magical forest hikes and the cherry on the top amazing views down to the valley and "pond" from the top of the owl trail. We visited the area with small kids (3-4 years old, that love hikes) and they walked the trails and said, and I quote, "It was fun". This is Vermont a wonderful state, colored in vivid green during the summer and the entrance to the parks cost only 4$. If you are a nature loving people looking for a long or short hike, come here.

Beautiful part of Vermont for a short, scenic hike and dog friendly. If you are in the area most…read moredefinitely stop by and see this wonder! In the summer it's crawling with swimmers and the fall is just hiking but bring water proof boots. Pictures don't do it justice!

Came here on a morning before the crowds came and, being midweek and at the end of summer, there…read morestill were not a lot of people as the morning wore on. There are arrows on the path pointing you in the direction(s) you want to go. Boulders are pretty slippery, so watch your step. The river water, almost turquoise in color, was. as expected, very cold but super refreshing, Waterfalls were mesmerizing. Lots of places on the riverbank & even the riverbed to hang out in the sun, or, of course, dive into the deeper swimming holes. There is a small parking lot, dogs have to be leashed, and carry out what you bring in.

I stayed at this park in July 2022. I had T46 campsite for my tent. It was very close to the…read morebathrooms and to the beautiful lake. Lake Groton. I had a picnic table and and place to build a fire. It was fairly private and I enjoyed it. The lake was absolutely beautiful to swim in and I brought my stand up paddle board too. Lots of boats out on the water. There are also campsites for campers. 56 campsites altogether. A nice pavilion with seating. Bathroom was pretty clean and you can take a shower for a few quarters. It's right near the Montpelier river rail trail where you can walk or bike. Careful for the bears around. They were at the dumpsters nightly.

Such a nice weekend! It was clean, quiet, and relaxing! We got there right as they were closing and…read morethe staff allowed us to find the perfect spot for us and our two dogs! We got the lean-to which was a perfect fit for our tent!

Nobody said getting back in shape was easy--but if you're going to suffer, you might as well do it…read moresomewhere beautiful. I picked a hiking trail in Vermont after getting lured in by some stunning photos online. Inspired (and slightly delusional), I stopped and picked up a pair of Oboz hiking shoes and some solid hiking socks--thankfully, one of my better decisions. Let me be clear: this trail was no joke. It twisted, turned, and climbed in ways that made my heart rate spike enough to question my life choices. At one point, I genuinely thought I heard Bigfoot breathing down my neck--turns out it was just me gasping for air. Here are the stats: 4,083 ft summit 7.4 miles round trip 2,645 ft vertical rise 6 hours of hiking The mountain is known as Tawabodi-e-wadso, which means "The Saddle Mountain" in the Waubawakee Native American language. Yes, I did my research--mainly because I felt like I needed to know the name of the place that almost killed me. (Kidding... kind of.) But here's the real truth: it was absolutely worth it. The trail winds through beautiful groves of maple and oak, with peaceful river streams breaking up the climb. It was majestic, serene, and a perfect reminder of why nature is one of the best places to push your limits. And yes, the shoes held up like champs. Bottom line: A tough but rewarding hike--equal parts humbling and awe-inspiring. If you're looking to reconnect with nature and your cardiovascular system, this one's for you.

We started the hike via the Huntington parking lot and hikes the Burrow trail…read more Do not underestimate this hike. It is all incline up and lots of rock scrambling. We are not experienced hikes and took us 5 hrs to finish. It is true that it is shaded the whole time, but no one mentioned about the amount of bugs on the whole trail. After asking a local, we find out that they are called "black flies". They are small and annoying little bugs that cling on to your skin and bite you. We put bugs spray but did not keep them away from us. Apparently they come in season that received alot of rain. (first week of June) And it just happens to hatch new eggs as the weather gets hot and wet. So if you plan to hike this with there is alot of rain, I suggest wearing a netted hat. Because these flies are soon annoying and just takes out the fun of the hike. Although it was not an easy hike with annoying bugs biting our skin, the summit was one of 360 view of the landscape. It is beautiful and view are breathtaking!!!!

I guess this trail doesn't get enough love because parking is extremely limited. We were fortunate…read moreto get one of the three available parking spots near the residential entrance. The trail is well-marked with bright yellow diamond markers on trees, and additionally annotated by sharpie at trail forks. We skipped the alternate route that presumably would've led to a longer loop that included a small waterfall at the river (according to AllTrails), so it only took an hour round trip for us to reach the Wu Ledges vista, then get back to our car before a rainstorm hit. The gorgeous views of the shorter leg were worth the effort. We were occasionally plagued by mosquitoes and flies, so I'm glad we packed the bug repellant.

This is the loveliest place to walk / hike / run / snowshoe with children in the Mad River Valley…read moreIMHO. The loop is about 1.7 miles IIRC, an easy (but not too wimpy) trek for my seven-year-old, with gentle ups and downs, even with thick snow cover on the ground in regular winter boots. (The Pardner forgot to throw our snowshoes and crampons in the car = demerits!) Although there are only three parking spots, there are enough accumulated visitors that there's a nicely packed, easy-to-follow trail. From the top, there's a nice view of the town with, I think, Mad River Glen, in the distance. Yellow trail markers are easy to follow up to the viewing point, less well marked on the other side. Lots of deer tracks, racoon and possum tracks, and a few intrepid squirrels out and about in winter. If you need a break from skiing, head to Wu and stop at the Sweet Spot across the covered bridge after. Perfect use of a winter morning. :)

Great place for sliding or snow tubing with the kiddos. Parking adjacent to the hill. Loved it…read more.. depending on where you are, it might be a drive.... nice options for lunch in the city, too !

At the top of Hubbard Park is the Hubbard Tower that was built between 1915 and 1930. Only 65 steps…read moreto the top, it is made of stones gathered from nearby abandoned walls and fences when the park was used as grasing pastures. It was designed to look a bit like a medieval ruin and contains a metal stairway that seemed safe enough to climb today. I opted to drive about as close to the tower as I could and was able to pull off to the side of the road. That left about a half-mile hike to the summit and then the tower. Pretty nice view of the surrounding area from the top. [Review 18520 overall - 118 in Vermont - 2042 of 2022.]

Peaceful wooded area surrounding the rushing river. Easy to navigate. Good parking lot. Part of the…read moreAppalachian Trail.

Look at me, parking the van and going for a semi-random walk in the woods. Yes, there is parking…read morehere for the Clarendon Gorge Appalachian Trailhead which meets up with the Long Trail (which runs through Vermont from the Massachusetts border to Canada and the Appalachian Trail. About a tenth of a mile down a well worth path from the trailhead is the Clarendon Gorge Bridge (which is also called the "Bob Brugmann Memorial Bridge" after a hiker who attempted to cross the raging river below but fell and died) that wobbles 30 feet or so over the riverbed. Yes, wobbles. It is a cable-suspension bridge and it was built in 1975 to replace an earlier bridge that was washed away in a flood in 1973. I expected it to be even wobblier but it has netting to keep you safe and the anchors look quite solid. Note that it's quite a drop into the riverbed from either side and there are no railings or protections to stop you from doing something stupid. Also, there is wildlife. Never hike alone and always bring a friend! [Review 18464 overall - 64 in Vermont - 1986 of 2022.]

We did a quick 15-min hike to the falls and got a somewhat-slippery though gorgeous view of the…read morepowerful falls and all the ways the water has shaped and smoothed the rocks. Loved the up-close view of it all and the shade of the forest. 5 stars!!!!

So glad we did the short but somewhat challenging hike to see these during our visit to Stowe -…read moretotally worth it. We parked at the trailhead (plenty of space on a weekday afternoon). Had to be careful on the rocks but on the whole doable. Wasn't brave enough to jump into the waters but you could. No restrooms that we saw so plan accordingly.

Wow ! What a hidden gem ! We were visiting Ludlow VT and saw this fall . Kids wanted to enjoy…read morewater and this was a perfect choice for us . The water was colddddddddddd though. Ufff . Very cold . The first dip was tough ! Later once you get use of it , it felt a bit better . Pathway was a bit crazy , in some places .it is about a 2 mile walk but we just went not too far : .. the lower and middle falls is also accessible from car parking lots outside . Parking is outside and sometimes you have to park 5-8 mins away from the falls . Not much of restrooms around . Lots of dogs in the water :) It was an amazing tint though ! Loved it . 5 stars !

As we were staying near Ludlow, I had put this on our schedule as a "check it out whenever time…read morepermits" item. We drove back after visiting some places to the north, and were passing this around 4 p.m. so we checked it out. This was in early October and the sun was just starting to go down. Though it was pre-dusk, it would be better to visit this site in full sunlight. There are 3 separate falls (the creatively named upper, middle, and lower). You access them from the main highway via a side road that starts as paved but soon becomes (good) dirt/gravel. The total length is less than 2 miles. You first get to a wide spot / parking area from which you can access the middle and lower falls. A trail leads down a hill where you must choose which falls to visit. The middle falls is impressive. It is probably the easiest one to access. The area from which you have the best view is a bit rocky, but navigable. It makes for nice photos. The lower falls appeared accessible from a side trail that descended a bit more steeply. You can also see it from above (somewhat) without descending. It appeared smaller and less photogenic than the middle falls. We then drove another 1/4 mile up the road (to its end) to check out the upper falls. There is a sharp short descent from the road to the top of the falls. It appeared to have a fairly large pool at the bottom and a flat dirt/sand area where some people had laid out a blanket for a picnic. The light was fading more so we skipped walking down the relatively gentle slope to check it out further. If you are in the area and have time, this is a nice spot to visit. It is within 3 miles of Ludlow. I cannot comment on what the swimming is like, but I saw references to that online (during summers, I guess).

Such an amazing hike! Me and my family do it every time we visit VT. It's moderate to challenging…read moredepending on your physical fitness and athletic capabilities. Takes around 2 hours. Great length. Definitely uphill most of the way to the top but SO worth it for the view. Incredible summit. It's also easy to navigate because it's an out and back and the trail is very well marked. There's also a second parking lot a bit higher up if you want to do a shorter version of this hike.

Stowe Pinnacle Trail is a quick hike but strenuous in some parts. Towards the top there is a…read moreserious incline which can be tricky if it rained/snowed recently. Took us around 2hrs round trip and the steep incline really got the blood pumping. If you reach the top you are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. I highly recommend!