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Champlain Island VT Outdoor Recreation

Champlain Island VT BikingKeeler Bay Camp Ground and Marina, on Route 2 in South Hero, covers 9 acres with over 900 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline. Twenty-eight campsites, a bath house, marina, and claiming the best Bass fishing in the State, Keeler Bay is open May through October, welcoming locals and visitors, some of which make the site an annual destination.

The Islands are loaded with State Parks, from the Grand Isle State Park (the most visited of any State Park in the system), to Knight Point State Park (home to the Island Center for Arts and Recreation), Knight Island State Park (accessed by water taxi, or your own vessel, docks not available), North Hero State Park (on the Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail) and the Alburgh Dunes State Park (a most unique shoreline of natural sand backed by dunes).

Grand Isle State Park is located on Grand Isle (or South Hero Island), boasting 226 acres and 4,150 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline. It is the most visited Park in the Vermont State Park system, and the second-largest in the State with 117 campsites, 36 lean-to sites, and 4 cabin sites. There is water access for swimming and shore fishing with a boat launch ramp available to registered campers. Kayaks and rowboats are available for rent. Visitors also enjoy sand-court volleyball, horseshoes, a play area, nature walk, and The Nature Center which offer both education and entertainment.

South Hero, VT, in the Champlain IslandsAlburgh Dunes State Park covers 625 acres featuring sand dunes along a long, natural sand beach. This unique area remains accessible while remaining dedicated to protection and preservation. Behind the dunes are Alburgh's wetlands, on which much of the area's wildlife is dependent. Although camping is not permitted, the Dunes are utilized 10 am to sunset and offer facilities, picnic, and parking areas, and a beach road, accessible on bicycles and by foot. A recommended 1.25-mile walk follows “beach road” and returns via the beach itself.

Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle is the newest and largest of the State's hatcheries. With Lake Champlain as its sole water source, this fish culture station raises over one-half million yearlings for statewide stocking. The Visitor Center is located on Route 314, across from the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's Grand Isle Ferry location.

The Marble Railroad Island Line Causeway is the most popular multi-use trail in the state. Beginning at Oakledge Park in Burlington, the trail skirts the Burlington shoreline on the Burlington Bike Path meets the Colchester Causeway, and then to the Allen Point Access Area to South Hero via a bike/pedestrian ferry. The causeway itself is a 2.5 mile crushed stone surface, just above the water's surface. The trail from start to finish is 14-miles including shoreline parks and absolutely stunning views.

Learn more about what the Islands have to offer:

Champlain Island Schools | Champlain Island Attractions