The first time I camped at Emerald State Park, I was 11 years old. I am now 29 and my family has…read morecamped here for a week each and every summer in the same campsite for the past 18 years. As a native Vermonter, I am accustomed to beautiful state parks in picturesque locations, but there is something special about this one. The campground is large, with 3 separate loops (A, B, and C), and while I have only ever camped at one site in the park, many of the campsites are in wooded areas with more privacy than many other state parks provide. The sites are great, the facilities are clean, but the truly magical part of Emerald Lake State Park is the lake itself. Campers can choose to hike the half mile trail down to the lake from any of the loops at the campground, or drive down to the parking lot and walk in (less than a quarter mile). The short walk from the parking lot winds along a little canal lined with partly shaded areas with many picnic tables for those who want to picnic away from the beach. Canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats are available for rental at the beach, and there is a small island located a few hundred yards offshore. I recommend an evening swim to the island when the beach is quiet, before heading back to your campsite to sit in front of the fire and look for constellations in the sky, which is what you'll find me doing each summer for at least the next 50 years.

This is a small state park off US 7 about 10 miles north of Manchester Center VT. It's a 5-10…read moreminute walk from parking lot to the lake. The lake is fairly shallow, it's very clean, not a large beach area and very picturesque. It's not Lake Tahoe by any means but it's very pleasant and refreshing.

Enchanting forest Swimming hole…read morePicnic areas Hiking trail Campsite $5 daily fee for visitors-- pay at the covered info stands

Great place for family,kids and youngsters alike! Peaceful…read morepond to kayak swim and fish. Small swimming area for kids as well. Park benches and picnic tables and open grounds for games!

Kent pond is a small pond that has some stunning foliage views where you can actually kayak or…read morecanoe. Great in fall but the water is cold. A Lil further down the street where you can actually walk or drive to is the water fall. A really short hike to the falls has small creeks and/or brooks along the way. The fall is pretty tall and if you want to be adventurous enough you can try going off the trail. I believe thos is part of the Appalachian trail.

Not much to say, just that the place is stunning and it felt really good to put my feet in the…read morewater after they were in hiking boots all day. There's a bench right by the water so you can sit and enjoy the peaceful. People were there with tiny boats so I assume that is another thing you can do there.

My wife and I visited today for the very first time and it was amazing...the nude area at the…read moreledges was so relaxing and was worth the 2 hr travel to get there and we will most definitely be frequenting there more this season...Hope to see you there

A wonderful, secluded beach tucked away in southern Vermont. You can stay on the main portion of…read morethe beach where they have grass, grills, and facilities; or, take a hike down the well-worn trail, deeper into the woods, and find surf, sand, and the eponymous rock ledges where you can sun yourself like a cat.

I have lived next to Lake Shaftsbury for 32 years. Great place for a walk, a swim, to have a…read morepicnic. Beautiful spot all round to spend quality time with family or friends.

We love, love, love this lake! We're spending the summer in Vermont and our family goes nearly…read moreafternoon for a swim and to play on the (very clean) beach. Red-winged blackbirds zip around looking for picnic crumbs, there's lots of shade, and the lake is shallow enough around the edge for my two young grandchildren to play. We had my grandson's 6th birthday party here and used one of the charcoal grills to make hot dogs. Be prepared to bring a table and chairs because all of the picnic tables have been removed due to COVID. The lake closes at sunset. Go!

Outstanding view all 360* arouud. Perfect for a cook out (pinic) on the summer or when its worm out!read more

A nice little escape in Northern NH. Mascoma Lake is an unassuming and easily accessible lake for…read morelocals and travellers alike. There are several businesses along the lake, although mostly seasonal, as well and free and public boat launches and beaches around the lake. Beaches could probably be made a little more open with additional amenities, but given the small spaces they're allocated and the fact that it's free it's hard to argue with that. Would recommend checking out the beach at the south end, or the Baited Hook for good summer food. Launch your boat at the north end for small wait times and good access. During the winter, the Rail Trail lines the eastern portion of the lake for super easy snowmobile access. Also great for ice skating and pond hockey if the snow cover (and ice depth) allows!

I found this hike thanks to Yelp! What an amazing place!…read more ****you will get a ticket if you park at the bottom of the hill!*** I went ahead and drove up and parked at the trail head, and was fine, the two cars parked at the bottom of the hill got tickets. The trailhead has a nice picture of the trails. I only did the pond loop, which is absolutely gorgeous! Dog friendly!

Pond Loop trail on the Equinox property was not quite what I expected but enjoyable nonetheless. I…read moreended up walking from the Equinox resort to this loop trail and back and the overall round trip took me less than one hour with a decent pace. Seeing the trail map, I expected to be walking the perimeter of the pond at water's edge the entire time, but this was not the case. The majority of the trail does not have a view of the water. Only at the very end, if walking counter-clockwise, is there a small section where the pond pavilion is located, can you walk up to the water. Also take note, there isn't any public parking for this trail so I would recommend coming on foot or even biking up to the entrance. Overall, a pleasant nature walk, though it's more woodland trail than waterside promenade.

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 !

Solid spot to see small waterfalls. Very peaceful and not a lot of rushing water…read more Parking is available on the shoulder at the lower and middle falls, located further up the road, and also at the upper falls at the end of the road. No restrooms available here

It all went well, from check in to check out. Friendly and authentic campground. Nonstop or relax…read moreand take it easy. Stay in or going outside the campgrounds. Something for everyone.

Though we made every attempt to arrive before dark, it wasn't in the cards for us on this trip…read more The office had already closed and we weren't sure what to do. The porch light was on at the office, so that's where we walked. Attached to the door was a map indicating how to get to our site - YAY! We followed that (nervously, as that hill is surprisingly steep) with my husband asking "are you SURE?". We made it easily and safely, set-up and enjoyed our first evening. The next two days (Labor Day weekend) were fun-filled as we travelled with not only our young children, but our adult children booked a tent site right across from us! We learned that the owners just purchased the campground this year and they have been working to get it running better, cleaning up and upgrading. Well, call me surprised! I thought it was quite nice the way it was. We were near one of the playgrounds, perfect for the little ones. My husband and I walked around and met a few seasonal folks, very nice people! On our walk we stumbled upon the fairy village, nice little feature. My 7 year old enjoyed that a lot. It was a touch chilly so even though the pool was open, only the youngest kids were interested in jumping in. ;) There were some activities for the kids, they enjoyed making slime. Most of the time we just sat by the campfire chatting, playing games. Great memories and we know we will be doing it again. At one point my husband took the little ones to buy ice cream and was a little short on cash. The owners said don't worry about it, enjoy the ice cream. He even went back later with the difference and they refused. Top-notch people!! I almost forgot! We booked online and have a Good Sam membership, but did not see an option to apply a discount. We later received an email reminding us to come to the office for our refund. We highly recommend this campground and look forward to future trips here.

Problem free rental. From the reservation person to the pick up was completely problem free. We had…read moretwo rentals days a part. First was a pontoon boat, very clean nice condition. The 2nd was a bow rider in good condition. Both were great running with plenty of power. ALL the employees That I had contact with were very nice and well educated as to the explanation and rules of the lake. You guys put a nice program together with the summer kids to really put your best foot forward. Great Job and will return year after year.

This is the third time we have rented a boat at this business. All of the employees are young…read morepeople. Every single one of them are polite, respectful, conversational, and most importantly knowledgeable! The boats are clean and well-maintained. I would never rent a boat from anyone else in the area. We look forward to our next trip to Lake George.