Vermont State Parks - New Discovery

Please note: Operations at this park have changed. Advance reservations are no longer accepted - all camping is on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations made prior to 3/13/09 will be honored. Horse camping will still be accommodated and no horse campers will be turned away. Reservations for the Osmore Pond shelter may still be made, but remote campsites on Osmore Pond will be first-come, first-served only.

Welcome to New Discovery State Park. As early as 1704, Native Americans and the French were using routes through Groton to reach Canada and Massachusetts. Colonists settled this area of Vermont slightly earlier than the rest of the State through the accessible network of waterways.

The rocky, tree covered hillsides were originally cloaked with white pine, spruce, hemlock, beech, maple and birch. These were logged by local farmers for lumber, fuel and potash. The logging industry was large-scale for almost 100 years while the railroad was operating. Today, logging is still a vital industry in the area, but has lost some of its dominance in favor of modern society’s leisure time movement - private cottages/seasonal homes and a variety of outdoor recreation activities.

Groton State Forest, with over 26,000 acres, is the second largest landholding administered by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. It has over 17 miles of hiking trails and over 20 miles of gravel roads and multi-use trails suitable
for mountain biking and horseback riding.