Campground Reviews

[renodesertfox]

Here's the thread to give your opinion of any campground that you have been to. What are the amenities, what is the conditions on the landscape? Cleanliness, how well organized, did it have a camp host? How large are the tent pads, the RV pads? Was there any separation from RVs & tents, how much privacy between sites are there? What are the fees? Good or not so good, or the worse place you have ever camped at? What were the conditions of the picnic tables: wood, steel or concrete? You just never know who you might help when someone is looking for an organized campground, it might just be you looking for what someone else said about a campground that you are looking for!

Photos of the campgrounds are always encouraged!

Also please include the state & county and the name of the campground when submitting your review.

[Shortpants]

Half Moon Pond State Park - Hubbardton,Vermont

We camped at Half Moon State Park in early June of 2013. Three adults, one child and an infant for a 3 day weekend. We loved this park! It probably has to be the cleanest State Park I have ever been too. The staff was amazing and so very friendly and helpful. They didn't even charge us for the extra adult on the site AND they let us check out late on our departure date since we wanted to go fishing more before packing up the site. We stayed at lean to site Aspen:


Right over the bank is the pond. Fishing was great, our 4 year old caught her first fish all by herself there! The site was very clean when we arrived, they seemed to be spaced well from the "neighbors". Unfortunately, it poured pretty much the whole time we were there, so the longest walks we took were to the restrooms (which were also immaculate, by the way). We didn't even get to the beach or go swimming, but it LOOKED really nice from our site across the pond. Here is the link to the INTERACTIVE (love this feature for VT State Parks!) campground map for Half Moon:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/halfmoon.pdf
You can click on the sites on the map and be taken to a photo and detail for the site. I really appreciate this feature, it makes shopping for a site really much easier, I hate flying blind! LOL!

I highly recommend this park, it was quiet and very relaxed. It was a bit "out in the middle of nowhere", but I like that when camping.

Here's the blurb from the VT State Parks page HERE:

Nestled away in the forests of 3,500-acre Bomoseen State Park sits the quiet camping area comprising Half Moon Pond State Park. Set in the dense woods of a small, sheltered basin, the park surrounds Half Moon Pond. The campground offers camping for all tastes with its waterfront campsites and lean-tos and five furnished cabins. For those seeking more creature comforts, Tall Timbers Cottage, with its waterfront location and private boat dock, offers all the amenities of home.

A perfect place for campers seeking a respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life, the park offers a vast trail system including a short walk or, for the more ambitious, a full-day’s hike. Hikers are likely to see a variety of wildlife including white-tailed deer or an occasional moose.

Rowboats, kayaks, canoes and pedal boats are available for rent from the park office, and two small, sandy beaches provide locations for sunbathing and swimming. The pond also has excellent fishing, where anglers can catch panfish, yellow perch and largemouth bass. Other exceptional fishing opportunities can be found at nearby Glen Lake and Lake Bomoseen.

With sites both on the water's edge and back in the woods, the 52 tent sites, 5 cabins and 11 lean-to sites provide great camping opportunities in a quiet, peaceful environment. Flush toilets, hot showers ($), and a dump station are provided. There are a play area and hiking trails to High Pond and to Bomoseen State Park. This is a camping only park and there are no day use opportunities. There is limited swimming, but great fishing and boating (no motors) in the pond (boat rentals available), as well as in other lakes and ponds nearby.

[Shortpants]

Jamaica State Park - Jamaica, Vermont

I camped at Jamaica State Park with friends in the 1990's, it really was a great park for pretty much anyone but boaters. It sits right on the river, so if you are lucky enough to get one of the riverfront sites (like we did!) early in the season, you can fall asleep to the babbling of the river at night. The park had a great range of hiking/walking trails, a nice river swimming area, and I hear the fishing is fantastic, but we didn't fish on that trip. The park was very well kept and clean, and the sites were mostly private, you could somewhat see your neighbors through a line of trees, and the tent areas were a bit less private, but overall pretty well spaced. They had a lovely nature center too. I stayed at lean to site Birch:


and my friends stayed at lean to site Alder:


Very nice and roomy sites, I really only slept at my site, spent most of my time hanging out at my friends site. It rained one night and I picked up my small dome tent and put it right in the lean to since I wasn't really using it anyway. My only "meh" thing about this park is that there is a walkway that runs along the river's edge so if it is a busy time, you have folks wandering by the front of your site all the time. Everyone is very respectful, and we didn't have any issues of people bothering us, I'm just not used to that much traffic right in front of me. Here's the interactive park map:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/jamaica.pdf

And the blurb from the State Park site HERE:

Jamaica State Park, now comprising 772 acres, was completed and opened to the public in 1969.

Previously, the area had supported a few small farms and a sawmill. The West River Railroad ran through the park. The old railroad bed is now used as the trail that leads along the West River to Ball Mountain Dam. The railroad operated from about 1879 until 1927, when a flood wiped most of it out.

The area at Salmon Hole, now used as the swimming area, was the site of a famous Indian Massacre in 1748.

Jamaica State Park is located on a bend of the West River about one-half mile from the center of the town of Jamaica. Nearby to the north is Ball Mountain. Hamilton Falls is located about one mile up Cobb Brook, which enters the West River upstream from the park. The West River has a very large drainage area extending from Weston and the south side of Terrible Mountain to Windham on the east and Bromley on the west.

Every fall, on one weekend in September, there is a water release on the West River from Ball Mountain Dam that draws whitewater paddlers to the park.

The West River is also a favorite spot for many fishermen. The combination of deep slow running water and shallow fast ripples makes for some fine fishing.

There are 41 tent/trailer sites and 18 lean-to sites that are spread out through the campground. Two rest rooms, complete with hot showers ($), are located in the campground. A picnic shelter and nature center are located near the picnic area and swimming hole. A hiking trail follows the West River and branches off toward Hamilton Falls.

Very, very nice park that I highly recommend. But reserve early if you want a prime, waterfront site, they go fast!

[Shortpants]

Coolidge State Park - Plymouth, Vermont

I stayed at Coolidge State Park in the early 1990's with a couple of friends. This park is basically built into the side of a mountain, so absolutely breathtaking views of the Green Mountains are guaranteed! This park was VERY quiet, we hardly saw another person while we were there. There is a Lean to loop and a separated Tent loop (with a couple random lean tos at the very end, as well as a few remote leanto sites. Since there was no water at this park, we did travel down the road a bit to find swimming, boating and fishing, but there were three different lakes to choose from within a 5-6 mile radius. We didn't go up to the tent loop or the picnic area at the very top, but really enjoyed the privacy and simple beauty this park had to offer. This park is quite old, some of the lean tos and fireplaces at the sites were original, and simply amazing. There was an original stone fireplace at one of the Prime sites that had to be 10-12 feet long! I stayed at Leanto site Larch:


And my friends stayed at Cherry:


But I must say that once we got there and walked the lean to loop to check out other sites, I really wished we had known and gotten either site Ash:


or Aspen:


I'd love to wake up to that and enjoy the awesome view with my morning coffee, and the star show at night is breathtaking! Here's the interactive park map:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/coolidge.pdf

And the blurb from the State Park site HERE:

A trip to Coolidge State Park is a trip back in time; the park remains essentially the way it was when it was first created in the 1930s. Known for its rustic feel, hillside campsites that give way to dramatic mountain views, and authentic character, Coolidge State Park is the developed recreation centerpiece of the 21,500 acre Calvin Coolidge State Forest, the largest state-owned land holding in central Vermont. Coolidge State Park is the only Vermont park with an entire loop of lean-to campsites, some of which have sweeping views of the Black River valley and the Green Mountains. Many campers feel that sites at Coolidge have the best views in all of Vermont. The park also has a loop of forested campsites, restroom facilities with showers, a hilltop picnic area with a log picnic shelter, a group camping area, and several remote lean-to campsites for those wishing to really escape it all.

Within the park, there are miles of hiking trails to explore, several streams home to elusive brook trout, and abundant wildlife. Some visitors are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a barred owl, a moose, or rarely even a black bear! Nearby is the village of Plymouth Notch, the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States.

Calvin Coolidge State Forest was established in 1925, when Perry Merrill (then head of State forests and parks) arranged the purchase of a tract of land in Plymouth He was successful in obtaining funds for the property due to the great public interest in the Coolidge family and popularity of Plymouth Notch.

Camp Calvin Coolidge, located in Calvin Coolidge State Forest, was established June 9, 1933 as the third Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Vermont. The original Coolidge State Park was built solely by the CCC. They also completed a network of forest highways and carried out extensive reforestation projects.

Much of what is now Coolidge State Forest was once cleared for tilled land and pasture, as evidenced by extensive stonewalls and many foundations. In the late nineteenth century there was a small town immediately adjacent to Coolidge State Park (later becoming part of the Forest). Businesses once located there included a store, blacksmith shop, and a hotel.

There are 36 lean-to sites and 26 tent/trailer sites arranged in two camping loops. There are four rest rooms providing modern plumbing, two of which have hot showers ($). There is a large picnic shelters and group camping area. There is also a nature center, horseshoes and a play area. There is a sanitary dump station for RVs, but no hookups. Many day hikes are available in the park.

There a several hiking trails, volleyball and a group camping area in the park.

[Shortpants]

Silver Lake State Park - Barnard, Vermont

I've camped at Silver Lake a few times, twice in the `90's and again in the early 2000's, and have been to the Day Use park many times. There are no waterfront sites at this park, and they seem to be a little closer together and less private than other parks I've been to, but they are still very nice. The beach area/public areas of this park are outstanding, as well as the fishing, swimming and boating. I have many memories as a kid renting the paddle boats here and paddling around the pristine lake. They also have a really nice dock, playground and even a snack bar. They also have a number of picnic areas right on the water, many people fish from these spots too. I've camped at site Spruce:


At site Elm:


And at site Birch:


Couple good things about all these sites, they are at the end of a dead end road, so not lots of cars to deal with, and they are all close to a low traffic restroom down in the picnic area that hardly any of the other campers use. But on the other hand, some folks have caught on to this, so the last time I stayed there, I noticed increased foot traffic through our site to get to this "private" restroom. The sites are also a bit on the smaller side. The beach area and other amenities really make up for everything though. Here is the interactive park map:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/silver.pdf

And the blurb from the State Park website HERE:
Barnard is a classic Vermont hill town surrounded by high rolling hills, dotted with farms and affording many scenic vistas. This busy park is popular for its sandy swimming area, picnic grounds, and camping area. Its proximity to Woodstock and other central Vermont tourist destinations makes it ideal for family vacations. The park encompasses the northern shoreline of 84-acre Silver Lake which supports excellent fishing of northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass and other warm-water species. The lake is popular for paddling and quieter recreation, with only occasional motorboats passing by. During the winter months, when the park is closed, the lake is a popular spot for ice skating and ice fishing.

Silver Lake State Park was established in 1955 when two pieces of land were donated to the State by Mr. and Mrs. John McDill of Woodstock, Miss Margaret Crosby of Barnard, and Mr. Richard H. field of Boston. Development of recreational facilities began soon after.

Silver Lake was originally called Stebblings' Pond after Benjamin Stebblings who owned land at the outlet where the Barnard General Store now stands. When Benjamin Stebblings moved out of the area, the lake became known as Barnard Pond. In 1869, Barnard Pond was renamed Silver Lake.

Barnard, chartered July 17, 1761 from the New Hampshire Grants, quickly became an agricultural town. Early homestead farms were replaced by sheep farms in the mid 19th century, and later dairy operations, a few of which remain today. The 35 acre state park was once part of several farms; a farm homestead was located near the current park entrance; the remains of a barn foundation are still visible in the campground. Today the town is known for the state park, and picturesque New England charm of the village center.

There are 40 tent/trailer sites and 7 lean-to sites. There are two rest rooms in the camping area with running water and hot showers ($). There is a sanitary station, but no hookups. The beach has a large grassy area, play area food concession, rest rooms, changing rooms, and boat and canoe rentals.

Here's a great pic of the beach area at Silver Lake:

[Shortpants]

Mount Sunapee State Park - Newbury, NH

We took a long weekend camping trip to Mount Sunapee State Park in NH last weekend and it was simply wonderful! This park is very small, only 10 sites total, but it is VERY private, we hardly saw another person the whole time we were there, and the sites are spaced so far apart that you never see your neighbors, or even hear them for that matter. The mountain access road to the camping area is VERY rough, it is basically the access road to the peak of the Mount Sunapee Resort ski area and they use it to get the snow cats to the peak for grooming in the winter, needless to say, that made for a very steep and slow ride to the park. Otherwise we absolutely loved this park, it was beautiful, peaceful, and you truly felt out in nature. The guys went fishing and boating on Lake Sunapee, and another couple we camped with went to the lake to attempt swimming, but it was a bit chilly still, but everyone raved about the lake and how nice it was.

This is a "primitive" campground. No flush toilets or showers at the campground, just a private pit toilet for each site. There are full restrooms and showers at the lake, but honestly, I abhor pit toilets and these really weren't that bad. Nice and clean and not stinky. All the sites are set back from the road a bit (with the exception on one newer tent pad site that was RIGHT on the road), and have a pathway to them, so keep that in mind for loading/unloading. This park is also tent only, I have no idea how you'd get an RV up that access road, plus the sites aren't pull-in sites. All the sites either have leantos or tent pads though, so that is a plus. Each site also has it's own, private potable water spigot by the road, so that was a bonus to not have to go far for the water jug refill, or run into someone doing their dishes at the water spigot (rolls eyes). LOL!

We stayed at site #2 that had 2 leantos on it:


I was a little unsure if we would fit all four tents our group had on the site at first, but once we got through our first rainy night and finally got everything up and organized it worked out perfect. Plenty of room for everyone and space to play/cook/tarp for the fire/etc. Lots of roots and stones in the middle of the site and on the pathway to the site, so my poor almost 2 year old toddler took a few spills, but the woods surrounding the site were pretty smooth for the most part, with a nice base of pine needles for cushion.

All in all this was a contender for one of our favorite parks. The road to the park and the distance from the lake were the only drawbacks, and even those weren't really a big deal. The size of the sites and setting of the park more than made up for it. There was only one park staff that makes regular rounds through the park to check with campers, he was a very nice guy and quite helpful. I will say if you are group camping like us, sites #2 (the two leanto one we were at) or site #10 (one with 3 leantos) are the best setup and room-wise. There are others that can hold bigger groups, but they really didn't have much room for tents I noticed. Very pleased with our trip here, had a great time!

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Campground Reviews

I love your reviews; they give so much information and you can really get a feel for the places.
I truly hope to visit Mount Sunapee State Park in particular although it will have to be without an RV. Not crazy about pit toilets either but sounds like this park's version is doable. How far is the lake from the sites....w/i walking distance?

[Shortpants]

Re: Campground Reviews

Why thank you! I just know that when I got searching for VT/NH park reviews, they are sadly lacking... so if I can add a few, great! LOL!

I really did love this park, and everyone in our group raved about it too. It has to be the most private park I have ever been to, the sites are so far apart and what feels like an acre of woods between you and your neighbor. I was terribly worried about the "potty" situation, but it wasn't nearly as awful as I envisioned. There is also an adventure park right next to the campground with everything from chairlift rides to the summit to ziplines to "offroad" segway tours (we saw a few of these zip by our camp site, pretty cool looking!). The distance to the water/beach is *probably* walkable, but the park is halfway up a mountain, so walking there might not be bad, but the walk back would be a honker. I would probably say driving to the water would be the best bet, and it's probably a 5 minute drive, depending on what you are driving and the condition of that access road. The gorgeous beach is worth it though! Also, the campground is kinda strange to find. You actually drive through a maintenance building parking lot to get to the access road that goes to the campground. It was an adventure getting there! LOL! Here are a couple more pics:

Our first night setup. It was raining and late when we got there, so we threw up the tarp, pupped our little dome tent in the leanto, and commenced to cooking 7.5 lbs of BBQ ribs! haha!
(Ooops, sorry no more pics at the moment. Looks like I'm still on moderated status and my pics have to be approved first)

We had such a good time here, everyone in our group agreed we needed to come back again.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Campground Reviews

I never even knew segways could navigate anything more onerous than a sidewalk! Princess (DGD)needs to get out of CT where we've been camping for the last 7 years. It was great when I still had a full work load as the park is close enough to NYC I could hop on a commuter train in the morn and be back before the evening if need be. Times have changed though and I need to expand our surroundings. The man and I are planning to buy an trailer (or a little motorhome...the water is getting muddy....sigh) as soon as I finish selling some property and then on to the road for as long as we can stand it. He's already fretting that we must spend summers with the Princess though so I'll just try and arrange a our cross country trip so we summer in the East.

[Shortpants]

Re: Campground Reviews

No kidding! I knew they offered the "offroad" segway but the first time we saw them buzz by, we were all like "Whoa!" I'm wishing that we had planned a longer trip since the park was so nice, check out the adventure park, hiking the trails and spend more time at the lake/beach. It was nice and sunny, but pretty cool when we were there, so we stuck around the campsite.

Here are the pics I tried to post yesterday:
Our first night setup. It was raining and late when we got there, so we threw up the tarp over the table/fire pit, pupped our little dome tent in the leanto, and commenced to cooking 7.5 lbs of BBQ ribs! haha!


The pathway to the site from the road, it really was set back nicely, but not too far. Pretty much all of the sites were this far back except for one of the newer tent pad sites on the far side of the campground. We stayed at site #2 which was great, my second choice would have been site #10 with three leantos. We could have strung up our tarp in the middle of all three for a super cool camping compund! LOL!


The private potable water spigot, one for each site was really a treat, and a little of the parking area. It is supposed to be a limit of 2 cars at each site, but we had as many as 3 cars and a full sized pickup parked there without blocking the road at all. There is a parking lot right at the entrance to the camping area as well for extra cars/boats/whatever. The parking lot is also where the trash dumpster for the park is, FYI.

[Shortpants]

Re: Campground Reviews

After the rain stopped Sat AM, we settled in at camp. Took down our small dome, put up the Taj Mahal, our friend decided to keep his tent inside the first leanto and we set up the second leanto for gear and food/coolers


The other side of the site, where our tent and our other buddy's tent went. You can get an idea of how big this site really was. We had a 4th 8'x10' tent set up behind one of the leantos, and the path to the outhouses is right between the two leantos in the previous photo


The couple that went to the beach bath house said it was pretty good. I guess a couple of the women's showers were not working, and they are pay showers, but they both said the facilities were clean and pretty well kept considering the day use the bath houses get from the beachgoers that aren't camping. I really can't recommend this place high enough, fantastic park, lots of options to keep you busy, just all around great place.

[Shortpants]

Emerald Lake State Park - East Dorset, VT

We stayed at Emerald Lake State Park in July of 2015. It was a last minute trip pulled together in two days, so a little stressful planning it on such short notice, but as always worth every single second of stress once we got there! There are 3 camping areas at the park, A, B, and C. We were at lean to Fir in Area A:

And here's our setup at the site:

There are MANY trails at the campground for hiking and walking. I will say that the "path" on the campsite map from Area A to the swimming area was more like a short, moderate hike than a "path". Since the camping areas are above the lake on a hill, the path was rather steep and a tad longer than I expected when we headed out. The walk TO the water wasn't bad as it was downhill, but the walk back was a doosey. I can't imagine heading out to the beach with kids toys and beach gear in tow and trying to drag all the stuff back that steep incline after a full day of swimming with two tired kiddos. Phew!
We did hike the Vista Trail and it was a good moderate trail for the family, our 2 YO and 6 YO did excellent and were able to walk the whole way. There are really great views over the lake from the top of the trail that show the reason behind the name of the lake:

Emerald green it is! The beach area is harder packed but still sandy and has a large grassy area just behind the beach. The swimming area is sandy bottomed with a few mucky spots here and there as you get out deeper.

There is an island in the lake that you can swim/boat/paddleboard to, they rent canoes, paddleboats, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards at the park. There are many picnic areas right around the beach area to grab a snack or lunch.
Overall, another very clean, very well taken care of Vermont State Park. The restrooms and showers are centrally located for each camping area and I pretty much saw park staff at the facilities cleaning every time we went there. And as always, every staff member I had the pleasure of speaking with was very friendly and helpful. This park is about 20-25 minutes from Rutland with shopping, malls, movies, etc., but there are "mom & pop" convenience stores close to the park. I found the tent sites a little too close together for my personal preference, but they were standard for most State Parks I've been to. The lean to sites were well spaced and mostly private in the camping area that we were in. I did not venture into Areas B or C, so I can't speak to the sites there. Here is the link to the interactive campground map for the park:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/emerald.pdf
And here is the blurb from the VT State Parks page HERE:
Located conveniently between Manchester and Rutland, the park is popular for its wooded hillside campground, beach and swimming area, and nearby attractions and tourist destinations. The park surrounds 20-acre Emerald Lake, named for the emerald green color of its waters when viewed from above. Restricted to non-motorized watercraft, the lake is ideal for swimming and paddling. The lake also offers anglers an opportunity to catch yellow perch, small mouth b**** northern pike and other warm-water species. The park is a favorite destination of hikers, with the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail nearby, and trails on Dorset Mountain.

The Dorset area became well known for its marble quarries by the early 19th century. The first commercial marble quarry to open in the region, and likely the country, was opened in 1785 by Isaac Underhill on Mt Aeolus. The quarry age of Dorset spanned some 130 years. In the early years, marble was cut for uses like headstones and hearthstones. The Feedley and Sons Quarry, on the southern end of what is now the state park, opened in 1804. Huge blocks of stone were cut from the mountainsides at the Feedley quarry where they were placed on an inclined rail system and sent a mile down the mountain to a finishing mill. Finished stone was sent out on rail cars. During the quarry age peak, as many as 30 quarries harvested stone for many uses, including projects like the New York City library and many bank and public buildings across the country. Many local buildings and sidewalks are made from the local stone. By the beginning of the 20th century, however, quarrying marble in Dorset began to draw to a close. Quarries further north in West Rutland and Proctor proved to yield higher quality stone much easier than the rugged mountain quarries in Dorset.

Between 1918 and 1921 Robert Alfred Shaw purchased more than 1,000 acres of land, establishing North Dorset Farms. His acquisitions included the area surrounding Dorset Pond, which is now known as Emerald Lake. In 1957, following Mr. Shaw’s death, the State purchased approximately 1,000 acres from his estate. Approximately 500 acres, located adjacent to the park on the east side of US Route 7, is now Emerald Lake State Forest. The 430 acres on the west side of the highway comprises the park. In 1960, Emerald Lake State Park opened to the public. The original facilities included a small campground, beach and picnic area.

Today, the remains of past quarry operations can still be seen. Stone remains of the Freedley and Sons finishing plant are located approximately 2 miles south of the park. Other former quarries remain as water-filled pits. Examples of these can be seen along US Route 30 in Dorset and on the mountainside along Route 7. One of the more unique features from this bygone era is the North Dorset Cemetery located on the hill overlooking the park’s contact station and parking lot. The cemetery has many headstones made of local marble.

67 campsites and 37 lean-tos are located on a heavily wooded ridge above Emerald Lake. Flush toilets, hot showers ($), and a dump station are provided. There is a small beach with a snack bar and boat rental facilities (canoes, kayaks, row and pedal boats). A hillside picnic area, as well as lakeside picnic tables are available. Trails throughout the park and nearby provide great hiking opportunities. Swimming, fishing, and boating (no motors) are popular in the lake.

[Shortpants]

Button Bay State Park - Ferrisburgh, VT

Just realized that I never posted a review of our September 2015 trip to Button Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh, VT. I had called at the last minute to see if we could sneak in one more trip before the season ended, and they had one tent site open... I told them I'd call them right back after I took a look at the tent site online to see if it would work for us. By the time I called back to reserve the site, they had a cancellation come in for one of their camping cabins right on the edge of Lake Champlain and asked if I was interested. I pondered it for a moment because I tend to prefer tent camping, but decided "what the heck, let's try some glamping for a change!" and grabbed the cabin. It was kind of different sleeping on a bed, in a cabin, with a ceiling fan and an electric outlet for sure, but it was still a fantastic trip and I didn't really miss all the setup that the tent involves for this trip. Being able to use the extension cord and some electrical cooking utensils instead of the Coleman stove and the fire pit was kind of a treat too. Here's the view from the cabin we were in, Sumac:

And a shot of the cabin itself:

There are two camping areas available at Button Bay. The first loop is tent/RV and lean to sites and are not water-view sites. This loop seemed to be a little more wooded than the loop we were on, but I really only peered in as we were driving by and didn't venture in to inspect the sites. The second loop contains the waterfront tent/RV sites and the camping cabins. These sites are in a wide open field with little to no privacy, but the trade off is that they are on the lake and closer to the day use area that has a walking/bike path to it. There is also a pool at this park, which is rare, and it was a very clean and well taken care of pool with water spouts in the shallow end and a small water slide in the deeper end. They have a pool here because there is no designated swimming area for the lake. You can pretty much hop in the lake anywhere, but the shore by the camping area is mucky and reedy and the rocky area out by the point is very slippery getting in and covered in zebra mussels that are extremely sharp and will cut your feet wide open. A good pair of water shoes or pair of thick socks will take care of the issues though, so be sure to bring those along if you want to jump in the lake. Here's a pic of the boat launch area right by our site, one of the two islands in the bay, Ship Island, and you can see the rocky point in the background too:

There is a very nice walking/bike path out to the point, and there is a very cool nature center out there too. Very flat path and easy walk to the point, and you can hop off the path at any point to fish or take a dip off the rocks. Here's a shot of the second island in the bay, Button Island, from the tip of the point:

They rent canoes and kayaks at the park to paddle around the bay or go fishing. There are many picnic areas, benches and scenic overlooks to relax and enjoy the scenery. Overall, yet another very clean, very well taken care of Vermont State Park. The restrooms and showers are centrally located for each camping area. Every staff member I spoke with was very friendly and helpful. This park is about 45 minutes from Burlington, the closest "city", but there are "mom & pop" convenience stores close to the park. I found the tent sites in the loop we were on way too open for my personal preference, but I noticed that most campers weren't at their sites during the day anyway, they just came back to eat dinner and sleep. Here is the link to the interactive campground map for the park:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/buttonbay.pdf
And here is the blurb from the VT State Parks page HERE:
Button Bay, a 253-acre park, is located on a bluff in Ferrisburgh along the 130-mile long Lake Champlain. Historically, the area has been visited by such notables as Samuel De Champlain (1609), Ethan Allen (1776), Ben Franklin (1776), and Benedict Arnold (1777). What once operated as a farm, opened as a state park in 1964. The park is so named for the button-like concretions formed by clay deposits found along the shoreline.

The camping area is generally an open, grassy area overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains to the west. There are 73 sites including 13 lean-tos and 4 cabins. Flush toilets, hot showers ($), picnic areas and a dump station are provided. The park has a play area and a swimming pool with lifeguards. Canoe and kayak rentals are available, as well as fishing and sailing which are popular on Lake Champlain. You can explore Button Point Natural Area, a small mature hardwood forest, hike the trail, and visit the Nature Center.

[Shortpants]

Little River State Park - Waterbury, VT

We camped at Little River State Park in late June of 2016. This trip was actually a group trip with 9 adults and 5 kids, so we had two tent sites to accommodate everyone. It was a roasty-toasty day when we arrived and I must say the temp dropped a good 10 degrees on the drive into the woods to get to Waterbury Reservoir where the campground is. Beautiful spot well away from pretty much everything, but still only 10 or so minutes to stores and restaurants, and about 30-35 minutes to Stowe, a big tourist town next door. Our group was there for a Renaissance Faire in Stowe, so we didn't spend a ton of time exploring the campground, but as always in the VT State Parks the campground and facilities were super clean and well cared for. There are a number of easy to moderate hiking trails within the park and the Waterbury Dam (built in 1935 by the CCC) which is pretty cool to see.
We were at tent site #21, and the rest of our group was at tent site #11. Our site was quite large, plenty of room for two tents and functioning as the gathering place for our group for meals and evening "festivities". LOL! Nice level site itself, but did have a pretty good sized sheer drop off on the far side of the site that wasn't fenced off or blocked in any way. Kept us on our toes with the littler kiddos all weekend. haha! Here's a shot of the site after everyone cleared out, so you can see how big it is, you can hardly even see our big tent off to the left:

Site 11 was a bit smaller, but since it just needed to function as sleeping space, it worked fine for us. The sites are relatively private, some more than others, the one we were at was one of the more secluded ones. There are two separate camping loops at Little River, A and B, we walked down to the swimming area in the A section and while it was a pretty nice "beach" area that was half sand and half rocks, the bottom of the swimming area was quite rocky, so I recommend water shoes for this spot. The kids didn't seem bothered at all with it being rocky, but the adults were hobbling around a bit until deep enough to take a little pressure off the feet. The reservoir is very popular with boaters and for fishing and they offer boat rentals at the nearby Waterbury Center State Park day use park if you don't have your own. Here is the link to the interactive campground map for the park:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/littleriver.pdf
And here is the blurb from the VT State Parks page HERE:
In the early 1800s, pioneers cleared fields, rocks, and stumps in Ricker Basin and Cotton Brook. A settlement of 50 or so families once lived in this area. The hard demands of the land and weather forced younger generations to abandon the farms. Today, old cemeteries, sawmill remains, old town roads, bridges and many cellar holes can still be seen as evidence of a past community.
On November 3 and 4 of 1927, torrential rains caused local rivers to rise and drove residents to their roofs. Between 1935 and 1938 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, constructed Waterbury Reservoir. The CCC camp here was a fully operating, thriving community with more than 80 buildings, and housing 2,000 men at its peak. Now, half a century later, only a few solitary chimneys and concrete foundations remain.
Today, Little River State Park is one of the most popular parks in central Vermont. Waterbury Reservoir is particularly favored for boating with a portion of the reservoir devoted to quieter uses. Angling for bass and trout is as popular here as water-skiing.

Enjoy swimming beaches, play areas, boat rentals and a launch, and miles of hiking and mountain bike trails in the adjacent Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Self-guided history and nature trails are located close to the camping area.
Little River State Park, which is part of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, primarily consists of a campground with 81 tent/RV sites, 20 lean-tos and five cabins. This is central Vermont's largest and most popular campground. Three of the four restrooms include hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available, but no hookups. Within the campground, there are swimming beaches, play areas, a boat launch, ball field, and boat rentals for campers. (For day use boat rentals and swimming, see Waterbury Center State Park). Adjacent to the park are miles of hiking trails for campers and day users that take in the rich cultural and natural history of the area.

[Shortpants]

Elmore State Park - Lake Elmore, VT

We camped at Elmore State Park in late July of 2016. This park has earned itself a spot in my top 5 favorite VT State Parks for sure! I absolutely adored this park! It was a gorgeous park, beautiful location, great sites, super clean, awesome beach and swimming... it just had it all, we will be going back again for sure! We got a lean to site for this trip, and boy am I glad we did! We had a HUGE rain storm come through the night we arrived with 50-60 MPH winds, sideways rain and thunder and lightning to beat the band. We stayed dry and cozy in the lean to until it was time to climb into our tarped-up tent to fall asleep to the sound of a thunderstorm in the woods. There are two camping loops at this park, the lower one that is closer to the road (where our site was), and an upper loop that is not as wooded and the lean to sites are wide open in a field. At first I was a little worried about being closer to the road and the resulting noise, but there was a good line of trees between the sites and the road so you really couldn't hear the traffic at all. We were at lean to site Maple:

Really good-sized sites with plenty of room. The woods between the site and the road were so much fun for the girls, they named it "Wonderland" and had imaginary adventures there the whole time we were there:

The trails and hiking options at the park were fantastic, something for all levels. We did the Mountain Brook Nature Trail and it was really beautiful, I saw some amazing mushrooms I'd never seen before, as well as the lovely mountain stream you can cross over and the old remnants of the 1930's CCC camp along the trail. Fishing here was great too, we fished just from shore and caught quite a few white perch which was great fun for the girls. The beach and swimming area was incredible for the kids. Nice sandy beach, sandy bottomed swimming area, and an incredibly gradual drop off that was great for our youngest. I wasn't having a heart attack thinking she was going to go over her head too soon after getting in the water. I mean really, look at this view from the beach area:

There were tons of people renting the paddle boats, canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards while we were there. They also have a concession stand at the beach with snacks, drinks and ice cream. And again, as with all VT State Parks, the place was spotless and the staff there went above and beyond. I planned this trip kind of at the last minute and wasn't sure about Elmore, but man am I glad we went! One of my favorites of my many years of camping VT State Parks. There is a quaint little town General Store right outside of the entrance of the park, and I believe a quite good pizza place right there too, although we didn't try that on our trip. Bigger shopping and supplies are 15-20 away in Montpelier, the State Capitol. Here is the link to the interactive campground map for the park:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/elmore.pdf
And here is the blurb from the VT State Parks page HERE:
Welcome to Elmore State Park. The Town of Lake Elmore calls itself “The Beauty Spot of Vermont.” Located in the southeastern part of Lamoille County, Elmore is mostly forested and agricultural land. Lake Elmore and Elmore Mountain, which rises almost from the lake’s shore, are prominent features of the town.
Lake Elmore is 219 acres, and lies northwest of the village and empties into the Lamoille River through Pond Brook. Elmore Mountain is in the "Hogback Range" and its timber is mostly hardwood. The mountain has an elevation of 2,608 feet.
The park had its beginning in 1936 when the town of Elmore and local citizens made a gift of 30 acres on Lake Elmore to the state of Vermont. With modest means, a picnic and beach area were created. Today, with more than 700 acres, Elmore State Park has become a popular, developed recreation facility.
The campground has 45 tent/RV sites and 15 lean-tos. Two restrooms are available in the campground with hot showers ($). A sanitary dump station is available, but no hookups. There is convenient access to several hiking trails to Elmore Mountain and its fire tower. The day use area includes a large sandy beach, an historic CCC-built beach house with a community room that can be rented for group functions, a concession stand and cafe area, restrooms, and boat rentals