Biking at Button Bay State Park

When you think about Vermont, most people think about mountains.  But, the closer you get to Lake Champlain, the flatter the terrain becomes.  And that, combined with panoramic views of the Adirondacks, Green Mountains and big lake, makes for some spectacular bike riding.  Button Bay State Park is on the Lake Champlain Bikeway, a 363-mile bike route around Lake Champlain and Richelieu River in Quebec.  The primary route is mostly paved, and the entire system includes 992 miles of shorter themed loops.  There is minimal traffic along most of them, and the section around Button Bay State Park is especially suited to family riding.  Nearby riding destinations include the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Basin Harbor Club and D.A.R. state park.  The southern Lake Champlain region near Button Bay is rich in Revolutionary War history - you may wish to visit Chimney Point and Mount Independence Historic Sites, the Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Site, or the John Strong Mansion Museum during your stay.  Button Bay State Park has tent sites with wide open views of the lake, lean-to’s, a swimming pool and large open air picnic pavilion.  The park is named for the button-shaped concretions, (geological formations) found in the sedimentary clay soil of the area.  A gorgeous nature trail leads to the point where the nature center is located and interpretive programs are offered daily. Fishing and boating are also popular activities in this park.

Bike Route links: 
Champlain Bikeways Directions
Champlain Bikeways Maps

Biking at Ricker Pond State Park

In the heart of the 26,000 acre Groton State Forest, Ricker Pond State Park was once the location of a working saw mill. The Montpelier-Wells River railroad ran through the park, and the former railroad bed is now part of the Cross-Vermont rail trail. When completed this will be a 75-mile bike trail between Burlington and Newbury.  Ten miles of this trail run through the Groton Forest. With a packed gravel bed and average gradient of less than 2%, it is appropriate for family riding and is easily accessible for people with disabilities.  The trail takes you in and out of woodlands and past secluded lakes.  Family riders can do an easy out-and-back, where experienced cyclists may choose a day-long loop. 

Ricker Pond has tent and lean-to camping, five cabins and a small, fully furnished cottage.  Loons are common on this quiet pond. Your campsite registration gets you entry into all of the other Groton parks, too. With its vast network of trails, ponds, lakes, streams and forests, there are a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities to keep the whole family occupied. Bike Route links:  http://www.crossvermont.org/Our_Trail/index.php

Biking in the Grand Isle State Parks

The Champlain Islands, located between urban Montreal, Quebec and Burlington, VT retain a quiet rural charm.  The landscape sports waterside farms, orchards, a vineyard and the longest sand beach in Vermont.  Recreational opportunities such as swimming, fishing, paddling and biking abound.  In particular, the Champlain Islands are known for their many road biking options. The Lake Champlain Bikeways network includes over 992 miles of theme loops ranging in length from 10 to 60 miles along an array network of quiet country roads.  Five loops in the Champlain Islands include “Island Life” (11.6 miles), “Stone Castles” (15.0 miles), “A Trail to Two Beaches” (17.5 miles), “Liquid Elixir” (11.7 miles),  and “A legacy of Ancient Stone” (10.1 miles).  Two state park campgrounds in “The Islands” give you some options for accommodations. Registration in either one gives you free access to the other and to the day use parks (Knight Point and Alburg Dunes), where swimming beaches, picnic, and parking facilities suggest each as a great place to start, finish, or simply stop for a break when out on a ride. Grand Isle and North Hero State Parks each have tent, rv, (no hookups) and lean-to sites, a campers beach, boat launch, and boat rentals (canoes, kayaks) available. Grand Isle has cabin sites, and interpretive programming, and tends to be a busier, more popular destination park. North Hero is more wooded, generally quieter, and relatively easy to get a site at on short notice. It is also a popular group camping spot, well-suited for bike touring groups.

Bike route links:
Champlain Bikeways Directions
Champlain Bikeways Maps

Biking at Lake Carmi State Park

There is more relatively flat terrain, great for bicycle touring, to be found in the farm country of northwestern Vermont’s Franklin County. Lake Carmi State Park on the shores Vemont’s fourth largest lake, is right in the middle of that farm country.  Quiet back roads take you past rural landscapes and generations-old family farms, quaint villages, rolling fields and forested woodlots. The park is just a short ride from and fairly near the midpoint of the 26-mile Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, which runs between the towns of St. Albans and Richford.  The packed gravel surface of this old railroad grade makes for an easy ride, and the fact that you’re off the highway with no traffic to worry about makes it all the more enjoyable. Much of the trail follows the beautiful Missisquoi River, known for its spring whitewater, great fishing and downstream heron rookeries.  While you’re in the area, you might wish to visit the 6,600 acre Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, which provides an important stop over, breeding, and feeding area for migrant birds and waterfowl.  At Lake Carmi State Park, the paved campground roads are great for kids’ bike riding. There is a large day use beach, boat launch ramps,  boat rentals, tent, lean-to, and cabin camping, plus daily interpretive programs.  The state park is also the home of the third largest peat bog in Vermont- this natural area is a 140-acre tract of spongy sphagnum moss and unique bog flora.

Bike route links:
Guide to the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail
Champlain Bikeways Directions

Biking at Emerald Lake State Park

The rugged, steep mountains of southwestern Vermont are a northern extension of the Taconic mountain range, which begins along the western border of Connecticut and the eastern border of lower New York. Once known for its slate and marble production, the geology of this region produces white-rocked cliffs, limestone caves and deep, emerald green lakes and quarries (thus the name Emerald Lake). In southern Vermont, the Taconics are paralleled on the east by the southern end of the Green Mountains. Running between these formidable ranges is the lovely “Valley of Vermont”, where Otter Creek flows north to Lake Champlain, and the Battenkill River, renown for its trout fishing and canoeing and kayaking opportunity, flows south.  The vales of the Battenkill, Otter Creek, and Mettawee River and the adjoining corridors of Routes 11, 30 and 7 make for some world class bike routes as well.  These routes have spectacular scenery but are best suited for intermediate to advanced riders.  Emerald Lake State Park has tent and lean-to camping, a large beach, swimming, fishing, boat rentals, concession stand and hiking trails.  The Green Mountain National Forest with its extensive network of trails and remote camping opportunities, the Appalachian Trial, the Battenkill River, the village of Manchester, and Equinox Mountain are all local attractions.