Boating

This 253-acre island makes a great little campground. Reservations are competitive and you have to be prepared to schlep your stuff — in and out. The “Island Runner” ferry leaves from Kill Kare State Park at the southern tip of St. Albans. Can't get in? Try the Woods or Knight Island State Parks.

9 articles 1 comment

Buttercup

1 College St. Burlington

802-373-1284

Boating

1 article

Button Bay State Park

5 Button Bay State Park, Vergennes Middlebury Area

802-475-2377

Parks, Boating, Hiking/Snowshoeing, Daysies Pick

Button Bay is one of the best beaches on Lake Champlain: The water’s clean, and you can rent canoes and kayaks right there. If neither swimming nor boating appeals, there’s always the area’s unique geology: flat round “button-like” rocks along the shoreline are great for skipping. Seventy-three campsites and 13 lean-tos beckon if you feel like staying over. Samuel de Champlain, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and Ben Franklin all did.

4 articles

City Bay

North Hero, North Hero Champlain Islands/Northwest

Boating

Community Sailing Center

505 Lake St. Burlington

802-864-2499

Events Venue, Boating, Daysies Pick

21 articles

Craftsbury Outdoor Center

535 Lost Nation Rd., Craftsbury Common Northeast Kingdom

802-586-7767

Cross Country Skiing, Boating, Hiking/Snowshoeing, Lodging, Daysies Pick

23 articles

Dock Street Landing

5 Dock St., Plattsburgh Outside Vermont

Boating

Floating tours on the Lamoille River

155 Sterling Ridge Dr., Jeffersonville Stowe/Smuggs

802-644-8336

Boating

The boating business that operates out of the Cupboard Deli in Jeffersonville is strictly a summer-only operation. Green River Canoe and Kayak Guided Adventures do floating tours on the Lamoille River. Guided paddles, at $65 per boat, include a “Sunset Beaver Watch” and “Water and Wine” — the latter is a 4.5-mile float that ends up with a tasting tour of Boyden Family Winery in Cambridge. “Self-guided” is also an option. The price — $35 per kayak for a 2.5-hour float — includes shuttle service and heavy lifting.

Friendship Sloop

2 College St. Burlington

802-598-6504

Boating

A 400-passenger cruise ship may not be your speed. How about a sail on the FRIENDSHIP SLOOP? The gaff-rigged boat accommodates up to 17 people and makes three trips a day. A two-hour tour costs $275 for up to six people, and $35 for each additional passenger. If you want a longer sail, you can customize the cruise to fit your fantasy: half day, full day, early morning, sunset. Bring your own wine and cheese — and IDs if anyone in the group on the boat is under 21. They provide the cooler.

Grand Isle State Park

36 E. Shore South, Grand Isle Champlain Islands/Northwest

802-372-4300

Parks, Swimming, Boating, Daysies Pick

This park is popular with people who want to camp near — but not in — Burlington. There's a boat launch for canoes and kayaks and plenty of lakeshore for swimming and fishing.

10 articles

Green River Reservoir State Park

Green River Dam Rd., Hyde Park Stowe/Smuggs

802-888-1349

Parks, Boating, Daysies Pick

15 articles

Heineberg Bridge River Access

690 Heineberg Dr., Colchester Chittenden County

Boating

Hero's Welcome General Store

3537 US Route 2, North Hero Champlain Islands/Northwest

802-372-4161

Boating

Looking for non-motorized vessels? A single kayak is $15 for two hours, a canoe, $17, at Hero's Welcome General Store. Need boat shoes, sunscreen, snacks? They’ve got it all, including a sophisticated website that lets you buy unique Vermont souvenirs all year round.

7 articles

High Country Marine

403 Route 9 West, Wilmington Brattleboro/Okemo Valley

802 464 2108

Boating

1 article

Knight Island State Park

N/A, N/A Rutland/Killington

802-524-6353

Parks, Boating

This small island offers remote camping only — that means no potable water. Reservations are competitive and you have to be prepared to schlep your stuff — in and out. The “Island Runner” ferry leaves from Kill Kare State Park at the southern tip of St. Albans. Can't get in? Try the Burton or Woods Island State Parks.

Knight Point State Park

31 Knights Point Rd., North Hero Champlain Islands/Northwest

802-372-8389

Parks, Swimming, Boating

This state park is home to the Island Center for Arts and Recreation, a community-based nonprofit that promotes cultural events in the region. Until recently, the Royal Lippizan Stallions used this as their summer home. It's a great place to watch the boats go by on Lake Champlain.

3 articles

Lake Carmi State Park

460 Marsh Farm Rd., Enosburg Falls Champlain Islands/Northwest

802-933-8383

Parks, Swimming, Boating

This 482-acre state park includes more than two miles of land on Lake Carmi — and Vermont's third largest peat bog. Take a walk through this designated natural area, or get out on the water. Bring your fishing pole and land some walleye or Northern Pike. This is also the state's largest campground, so there are plenty of spots to spend the night.

1 article

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

4472 Basin Harbor Rd., Vergennes Middlebury Area

802-475-2022

Attraction, Boating

People have been fighting over Lake Champlain as long as there have been personal flotation devices. The waterway’s strategic value is evidenced by the dozens of shipwrecks on the bottom. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has been discovering, researching and protecting those rusty relics, and the result is the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve, a gallery of sunken ships accessible to divers. But there’s plenty to look at on land, too. The dry museum chronicles the maritime history of the area through exhibits, boat-building demonstrations, lectures and festivals. Re-enactors take over the place for two days at the end of August. The “Rabble in Arms” Living History Weekend includes a re-launch of the 1776 replica gunboat Philadelphia II.

4 events 16 articles

Lake Iroquois

24 Beebe Lane, Williston Chittenden County

802-879-5664

Boating

Lake Memphremagog

Newport, Newport Northeast Kingdom

Boating, Swimming

Launch at Mac's Bend Rd.

Mac's Bend Rd., Swanton Champlain Islands/Northwest

Boating