This review is for the Southwest Cove and South Shore Loop hiking trail as of July 2026. The…read morehidden beach (about a 0.3 mile walk away from Route 5A) is considered a nudist beach (off-peak hours). Photos cannot do justice to the magnificent view of the mountains and light blue color of the water. Parking is limited in the small lot (perhaps 15 spaces available). The hiking trail itself was peaceful with the sound of birds, a few babbling brooks, and tree-shaded canopy that made a pleasant afternoon hike (about 1 hour for a round-trip loop walk). If your time is limited for a full hike in the area, I would strongly recommend this South Shore Loop trail for a satisfying walk!

Amazing little beach area along the Southern end of Lake Willoughby. During the warmer months it is…read moreclothing optional, however when we visited (October)it was a bit too chilly for that . Crystal clear water, great views, and secluded just enough to be away from the more popular areas of the lake.

Loved our summer at Maidstone. The staff this season was exceptional. The park is peaceful and a…read moregreat place to unwind. If you like hiking the trails are an especially nice way to spend the day.

an amazing exp that's been in our family for years! a pristine lake, an amazing nighttime sky, an…read moreoff grid gift and wonderful ranger group led by Tom with his staff! Facilities for bathing and life are always clean and nicely improved. Get back to nature with great trails, kayaking, fishing, family and the way things were meant to be. Camping at its best personal time you deserve!

We stayed here with two other groups of people for a long weekend…read more We booked a leanto and tent site. The biggest thing talked about his past weekend was how not a one out of the 7 of us would be coming back. We've always booked state parks throughout the summer in VT but this one was new to all of us. We all, separately, had extremely rude interactions with the staff and were not happy with the way we were treated or how unhelpful they were. It was ridiculous the rudeness we were met with during simple interactions such as passing by a staff, getting wood, going to the bathroom, and just sitting at our site. Bathrooms: The water faucets don't shut off in either of the men or women's bathrooms so they are running constantly, leaving their water pump on constantly which was quite noisy They would close the bathrooms down between 7:30 and 8:30 every morning. Just as soon as the park was waking up and there were many people waiting to use them. They were always covered in mud on the floor and the sinks full of hair even when they left from cleaning and we were finally allowed in. They wouldn't put new toilet paper on the rack, just placed the rolls on top of empty ones. Road: the park was not very booked and we had lots of empty sites around us but the road was considerably busy due to the park staff constantly circling the park in trucks, personal vehicles and on UTVs. Wood: We were given a hard time getting wood. Which shouldn't be a problem, I'm giving you money for the item you're selling. We had two sites, and we wanted 12 bundles for 4 day stay. After playing 20 questions with the staff woman, she finally allowed me to pay for the wood. "How many people?, how many days?, what site are you on? you know it's supposed to rain tomorrow right you won't be having a fire tomorrow.. Are you sure you need that much? How many people do you have there? If you don't use it you have to bring it back to us... I'm going to have to call someone now if you think you need that much.. ugh, you're paying cash...". # of people: we were asked and stopped multiple times by staff asking how many people were on our site. We had two sites and 7 people. The max PER site is 8 people. Pets: There is no area that dogs are allowed to be in the water and there were signs at the one small beach that said no pets. We respected this but one day we left the dogs behind and went down, there was a group of staff there who had their pets with them! So the rules didn't apply to them apparently. Dogs: One of the staff followed behind us when we first checked in to our site as we were arriving. We got out of the car, opened the back door to let our dog out and she immediately came running over screaming that the dog needed to be tied up. The dog was less than a foot from my car and had just gotten out. Cleanliness: many of the sites I saw had not been cleaned properly including a fire pit that was full of trash someone partially burned and staff left. The one small "beach" area was very dirty and not maintained. The "trails" were not maintained or trimmed back. Anytime we were driving through the park to leave, explore, get wood etc we were stopped by staff and asked "can we help you?" No... just exploring. It felt like we weren't able to enjoy ourselves nor leave our sites. Sites: another lean was so close and facing towards ours. You could see directly into their lean to and they could into ours. The upsides: The leantos inside were nice, had a coat rack in them which was a cool add on we utilized, and it was a very quiet park at night. Had the staff been nicer, or even willing to be personable, we all would have had a better time and been writing a different review. Unfortunately, this park was not one we will return to, nor recommend to others. It's one thing to have one person have a rude interaction with a staff ranger but it's a whole different thing when all 7 of us had separate conversations with staff during various times of our stay and each been shocked at how we were talked to and treated.

One of the BEST experiences I've ever had in a state park! The sites are beautiful. Our lean-tos…read morewere swept out, clean fire pits, they even raked the site! What other state park does that?! And don't even get me started on the restrooms. The shiniest I've ever seen! Every where we went, the staff was so friendly. They would ask if we needed help, like they genuinely wanted to help us. I love that so much! The park was really busy because it was a holiday weekend, but you wouldn't know. It was so quiet and peaceful. The loons calling at night lulled us to sleep. They have 2 really nice beaches. A smaller one, inside of the campground and a larger one that's just outside on another lake. The only issue we had was somebody brought their dog down to the beach inside of the park and it was running everywhere. The staff came down about 15 minutes later and talked to the owner and they left. There were 2 signs that said pets prohibited. I don't understand why people think they can do what they want, anyway. Some things I took note of: $9 for a bundle of wood/decent size $5 for 5lbs cubed ice (it's $3.50 in town for same size) $6 for 10lb block ice (blocks are hard to come by, glad they had them) .50 cents for 4 minutes in a clean, hot shower They don't sell bait, but the grocery store in town does for $3.50 They don't have a camp store, but town is 2 miles away and you can get groceries or pick up supplies at the outdoor store. Trails are for hiking only. You can ride bikes on the road in the campground, but honestly, how much fun is that? I did find out that popular mountain bike trails are about 20 minutes away. You can rent kayaks, canoes, etc on the lake that's inside the park, only. Prices seemed reasonable. There's a nature center that's great for rainy day activities. We had 13 people in our group and all of us had a great time! Our first time, here and we are looking forward to coming back. Plenty for everybody to do and if you love races, the town has a canoe race and a marathon on labor day weekend. Concerts, too! Great little place with a great little vibe!

Not that big of a park but for sure it will revitalize you to see the beauty of the lake. The…read moreNewport bike path pass through here and it also has a short boardwalk. This is a donated land, please see image of the good man who made this park possible.

This is the perfect picnic spot: picnic tables; Public restroom; hiking in the woods; a beautiful…read moreview; and the soothing sounds of a waterfall. THE DEAL: this park is free and open to the public!

Gorgeous little rest stop area, bathroom is a bit dirty but the natural beauty definitely makes up…read morefor it. Has a little firepit/grille setup that's great for small cook fires.

We went to VT for a weekend and I decided to try mountain biking for the first time. In my…read morebeginner's opinion, the booking was super easy and clear and the staff were knowledgeable and helpful. However, I just need to warn any fellow beginners that the first "green" trail going uphill that's super windy is a doozy! I fell several times until I fell so badly I thought I'd injured my knee (pic attached). Once we decided to go up the road and take cupcake/loop trails things were much much easier (and still absolutely beautiful). All in all I recommend kingdom trails- but be careful!

NEMBA Fest and the Kingdom Trails have proven to be a significant draw for mountain bikers near and…read morefar. Boasting over 100 miles of trails for every skill level, Skill clinics and guided tours. Cant go wrong with celebrating summer & all things mountain biking. NEMBA Fest offers three days of riding, camping, festivities and a huge bike expo. A friendly community to top it all off.

Chris was amazing!! Very polite and helpful. Brought out kayak right where we needed him to bring…read moreit. There equipment is high end and life vest kept neat and clean. Amazing customer service 10 out of 10 would recommend.

What a great day! Absolutely adore the folks who own and run this place. Everyone is so nice! I…read moredidn't have to lift a finger getting the kayak in or out. (Which was super helpful at the end, our arms were tired haha!) Beautifully scenic trip. We personally recommend packing a cooler with lunch and stopping halfway down the river for a break. We didn't bring anything this time, but wish we did!

Amazing and friendly people! Great products for an affordable price! Will definitely be coming back!read more

East Burke sports is a great little gem tucked into the booming quarter mile strip known as east…read moreBurke. The staff knows their stuff, and is more than willing to help you decide between pedals, powerbars, or whatever you are in need of. They are located right at the trailhead for kingdom trails (mountain biking), next to east Burke market, and along the bank of a lazy bend in the river. Pro tip: for a little mountain bike recharge- Grab a drink and a snack from the market and post up on a picnic bench. The Constant flow of bikers is always amusing.