One thing about me: I'm gonna make my annual pilgrimage to Vermont for a maple latte, maple buffalo wings, and some clean air hiking. Read on for the hike, the campground, and the park. Me, husbo, and dog hit a twofer this weekend - 2 hikes, 1 day. What can I say - I was feeling inspired. Hike We did the Mount Olga trail - accurately rated moderate. It was up, up, and more up. There's no lookout after all that uphill but there is a fire tower that gives 360 degree views. Ordinarily, I like to see fire towers, but not climb them. I was determined this time, tho. Unfortch right at the turn off for the tower my hamstring started to twitch which means I have about T-5 minutes until a debilitating cramp unless I get myself together. I didn't want to chance it so we continued around the loop. I REALLY liked this trail. I found all the uphill interesting, somewhat challenging, a few good rock scrambles, too. On the way down there were a few butt sits, and a water crossing, too. I love varied terrain like this. Minimal bugs and just enough people out to not feel alone, but to also go for 20 minutes at a time without seeing anyone else. The hike starts outside the visitor center and ends just above the campgrounds. About the campground: It's beautiful, wooded yet airy. Huge sites with sturdy picnic tables and glorious fire pits. They even have lean-tos! I've a right mind to book one this week before they close for the season. Bathrooms My husband used them before the hike and said they were CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Now I know that well-run campgrounds always keep a pristine bathroom but this was a surprise to him. Between the bathrooms and the camp sites he was really excited about finally going camping as a family (I usually go solo). Visitors Center Charming building and wonderful staff. The man checking us in provided accurate information and was very warm and friendly. I cannot WAIT to go back here once the spring rolls around. Lovely all around. Things to Know: -parking and overflow parking at Visitor Center -$5 entry fee per adult person. Day pass also valid at other state parks during the same day -dog friendly read more

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Vermont will nickel and dime out of state visitors instead of building a stable fiscal state infrastructure. It gets tiresome after a while. No sites are level, costs 20$ for residents nightly yet 25$ to use the dump station once. And they wonder why the politics are a mess read more

A perfect spot for locals as well as those passing through our small town! The service is spectacular! I love trying to find the hidden minis in the tavern! read more

Molly starks state park gave me the most amazing camping experiencing. I'm a first time camper, it is nestled in the beautiful forest, the leantos I highly recommend! The grounds are pristine, the staff is top tier. SCORE OF TEN OUT OF TEN! WILL BE BACK TO CAMP AGAIN! read more

Molly Stark State Park - Leanto - Parks Near Me - Wilmington, Vermont

Molly Stark State Park. Say that three times fast! She was the wife of General John Stark from the Revolutionary War. This is a park named after her that's along the road from Bennington to Brattleboro VT, aptly called the Molly Stark Scenic Byway (or Rt 9). John Stark said: "Now, my men, yonder are the Hessians! Tonight, the American flag flies over yonder hill or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" She was not made a widow that night. She helped her husband by recruiting men for his army and raised 11 children at the same time. All the while, she made her home into a hospital for the wounded (regardless of side). The land was donated from the State and a private citizen to make up the park. Today, there are campgrounds with facilities, groomed hiking trails, and play areas. From what we saw the campgrounds were clean and well cared for. This is a great park for a day hike, as we did. Nearby Things to Do: Gondola, Hiking, Mountain biking, Golf, Mt. Snow; Vermont Historical Society, Norton House Museum, Hermitage Sugar house and Game Bird Farm, 1836 Country Store Village, Maple Grove Honey Museum, Memorial Hall Center for the Arts, Farmstands & Tours, Historic Downtown, Harriman Reservoir- boating & swimming, Wilmington; Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro; Luman Nelson Wildlife Museum, Southern VT Natural History Museum, Marlboro; Bennington Museum, Battle of Bennington historic sites, Historic downtown and villages, Bennington. read more

Spent the weekend tent camping. First time camping in VT. We were really impressed! Only ~23 camp sites = quiet, clean, no wait for showers. Hot showers are free. Brand new bathhouse is immaculately clean. Our camp site was wooded and private. Ranger office sells firewood and ice. $20/night for rent sites (out of state prices when we went in 2015) $27/night for lean-to sites Definitely go for the hike (~0.9 miles) to the fire tower. Nice hike, scary climb up the fire tower, but DEFINITELY worth it. Views were amazing! read more

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Beautiful campground and a lot of options for things to do. With that being said, Ranger Mike is a tool and will look for any reason to harass you while you are there. read more

This is an ideal campground for groups with non-campers, or people who want to camp without being too hardcore about it. It has beautiful grounds, a nice, easy hiking trail up Mt. Olga, easy access to Brattleboro and Bennington, hot showers, and even recycling on premises. The campsites vary from open and grassy to secluded and wooded, so the degree of privacy you get is up to you. The rangers are always pleasant and helpful - unless you are making noises louder than a whisper after 10 PM. If you live in a bright area, make sure you get out and see the stars at night. They have a large, open, grassy hill that is perfect for kicking back and watching the sky. read more

I've been camping on a fairly regular basis for the last 45 years: Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota (ugh), South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, you get the picture. In my younger days, camping was all about hiking from place to place, setting up brief camps between hikes. As I've gotten older, I prefer to set up a base camp that's a bit more "luxurious" and return to it from whatever activities I chose that day. Molly Stark is the perfect campsite from which to do this sort of thing. There are plain tent sites, tent sites with large lean-to structures, and RV sites for the truly evolved situated around a large loop, in a very pleasant, forested setting. The park station offers fire wood and ice for reasonable prices (get it before 7pm) and there are 2 bathrooms located in separate sections of the site, both which can be reached from any camp site in a 1 to 5 minute walk depending upon where you're camped. Both bathrooms have showers although only the central bathroom offers them free. The older bathroom requires a few quarters to start the water. Water stations are easy to get to. There are a couple of nice hikes that can be gotten to directly from the camp itself. The Harriman Reservoir is nearby for some great swimming, kayaking, etc. Wilmington is about a 5 minute drive from the camp - nice little town with some stuff to explore, groceries are easy to get (Shaw's) and theres a fun hamburger stand (Wahoo's) that's yummy and affordable if you don't feel like cooking. There's also a laundromat if you get caught out in mud or rain and need a 'fresher. Bennington is a short drive if you feel like going further afield. I've been to Molly Stark 5 times over the last 4 years. It's always a pleasant experience. The last time I was there (late July 2016) was probably the best experience of all. I usually camp in August but went earlier this year because August has been too chilly for me in years past. It was incredibly peaceful. There weren't as many people as there have been in years past. The park attendant (Zach) was friendly and we saw him walking the grounds a lot. I have one complaint about Molly Stark and it's not enough to take a star away: the older bathroom needs an update. Scrub it down, paint it, update the shower so it's free like the newer one. It needs it. read more

Molly Stark State Park is a beautiful state park located just to the east of Wilmington. It's centerpiece is Mt. Olga, which you can take the 1.8 mile hike to the top and back (Just a hint: the .7 mile trail that starts at the ranger office is steeper than the mile long trail that starts in the campground). The view from the top is excellent. There is a historic fire tower at the top which you walk via stairs to the top of (FYI: The fire tower feels rickety at the top, remember it's historic). Up there, you can see the mountains throughout Windsor County and into NW Massachusetts. The centerpiece of the view is the ski slopes at Mt. Snow and Haystack. There is a campground which appeared very nice and well maintained. Overall, if you want a great workout, a great view, or a night with nature, stop by Molly Stark State Park and either hike to the top, pitch a tent, or both. read more

Spent a beautiful relaxing weekend here. When i originally booked I selected lot 17 because it was off the road and I thought there was an apple tree right across from it. http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/mollystark.pdf Well it turns out all those things marked with tree names are actually lean-to sites (seem to be little three walled structures to put your tent under in case it rains). When we got there I realized my mistake and because there was a family right next to us, I decided to see about switching my site. The park ranger was super accommodating and circled all the available sites on a map. She also explained to us that the bathroom near the bottom of the park "leaves much to be desired and hot water cost 50 cents for five minutes". The bathroom right across from the park rangers house has recently been re-modeled and has free hot water. Don't book sites 18-23 because you can hear the cars on the main road. We settled on number 5 and were very happy. Beautiful set of woods behind us and we could not see any other sites. The trails were very beautiful and moderately challenging. The grounds are also close to a small town which was nice to stroll though and have dinner. read more

This is an absolutely lovely campground. It's the nicest state park campground i have ever stayed in, and I've camped in 48 states. Its a lovely wooded spot near a quaint town and it has trails to a mountain overlook. The staff is very friendly and do a great job. The bathrooms are amazingly clean and they even rake every campsite between each use. They take care of this place as if it were their own home. If you go into town, don't miss the deck restaurant at the Old Red Mill Inn. This is a must-stay campground! read more

Good trails in good condition. Friendly staff and incident parking. It's clean and well maintained. We would consider going back to try camping. read more

This is our 'go to' campground. Clean, quiet, roomy sites. We have camped here in a tent, a VW Westfalia and a Roadtrek Adventurous. No electric but water and pump station available. Campground has always been well run. Seems to have new management for the 2017 season. Memorial Day weekend was busy and rainy/muddy - so less than perfect bath houses can be forgiven. We swim / kayak locally at Harriman and Somerset Reservoirs. Full grocery store, pharmacy, gas station very close. Restaurants, as well. We prefer sites in the upper loop to the field sites but those with a Class A or larger trailer may find the field easier. read more

Great campsite! We stayed in a lean-to for two nights in the pouring rain. The campsite was obviously very well cared for, and they even raked the site. The lean-to was level and on a nice little site. The bathrooms and showers are spotless. Great spot! read more