Tweet
I just put this list together for a guy at an Amtrak forum I belong to and thought it might help some readers here too. 
Should you be a camper that doesn't have a car or if you want to double your adventure and take a train to your camping destination, this list is for you! Vermont has two Amtrak routes through the state, the Ethan Allen Express (NYC to Rutland, VT) and the Vermonter (Washington DC to St Albans, VT) that have quite a few stops along the way for great camping opportunities in the State Parks.
Pretty much every developed campground in the VT State Park system has hot showers (pay), flush toilets, potable water spigots, and firewood available at site. There are parks that have some primitive sites with no services, and of course the hiking trails are abundant here in VT, and some have shelters or dispersed camping areas (free) available for overnight camping on the trails or in the National Forests. I'll just cover the State Parks in this post though, otherwise we'd be here all day listing out all the amazing camping options in our beautiful Green Mountains. On to the routes/camping options:
Ethan Allen:
Castleton, VT - About 5 miles from the Amtrak station is Bomoseen State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), there are convenience stores and restaurants in a 5 mile radius from the park. Bomoseen park is right on the lake and is very nice, some wooded sites and some open sites, and even a few waterfront ones. They also have a snack bar and boat rentals at the beach. I believe there is a public transit bus that runs through here (The Bus) for Castleton State College, but not sure of where the stops are.
Rutland, VT - The Amtrak station in Rutland is in the main downtown area, it's actually right next door to a Walmart plaza. The same public transit bus (The Bus) runs out of downtown to pretty much anywhere you would want to go in the Rutland County area. One of the routes goes up over Mendon Mtn to Killington and intersects the Long Trail, so hiking is pretty big in this area. There is Gifford Woods State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) in Killington, a short walk down Rte 100 from the intersection of Rte 4 and 100 where the bus runs. Gifford is a very nice park also, they even have cabins available there, as well as the usual tent sites and lean to sites. There is a small-ish pond across the street from the park for boating, fishing and swimming. There is a convenience store at the intersection of Rte 4 and 100, and some restaurants about a mile away in the Killington resort area.
Vermonter:
Brattleboro, Vt - About a mile from the Brattleboro Amtrak station is Fort Dummer State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations). I haven't actually been to this park, so I can't give you first hand details. There's no lake/pond at this park, but there is a short trail that goes direct to a local swimming hole. About 2-3 miles from the park is the downtown area with shopping, restaurants and the like.
Bellows Falls, VT - There are no State Parks close to this station. Townshend State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is about 40 minutes away (driving) and Jamaica State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is about an hour away (driving). I haven't been to Townshend, but have been to Jamaica and thought it was one of the best campgrounds I have ever been to. It sits right on the West River and they have lean to sites that are right next to the river, so nice to listen to while laying in your tent at night. But I think the only way to get there would be to rent a car.
Claremont, NH - The Amtrak station here is in a relatively residential area, the shopping centers and downtown area are a few miles away. The closest VT State Park is Wilgus Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) about 10 miles away. This park sits right on the Connecticut River, so very popular for boating and fishing. Canoe and kayaks are available at the park. They have cabins at this park as well. Also close by is Mt. Ascutney State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) that has a campground as well and features many hiking options.
Windsor, VT - See Claremont, NH above. Windsor is about 10-12 miles (10-15 minutes) Northwest of Claremont, so same camping options for this stop.
White River Jct, VT - Quechee Gorge State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is the closest park to the WRJ station about 6-8 miles away. This park is right on Vermont's deepest gorge, and is pretty cool to see, and has great boating, fishing and swimming as well as hiking/walking trails through and around the gorge. The gorge is one of the more "touristy" areas of VT, but still fun to see and there are plenty of amenities nearby.
Randolph, VT - This station is right "downtown" in Randolph, but there aren't any camping options right close by. Good place to stop en route for supplies as stores are right next to the station. Oh, there is a Chinese food restaurant across the street from the station that will bring you a takeout order right to the platform if you call ahead though, that's pretty cool! LOL! Otherwise, the closest State Park is Silver Lake Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), and although that park is absolutely beautiful, it's about 20 miles away and Rte 12 to the park is closed for bridge construction from that side this summer, so the detour would be a bit longer.
Montpelier, VT - Our State Capital! And the smallest state capital in the United States. The train station here is a bit off the beaten path though, it's about 2-4 miles to the downtown area and the Capital Building from the station. The closest state campgrounds here are the Groton State Forest group of parks (Stillwater, Kettle Pond, Ricker Pond, New Discovery and Big Deer), but those are about 30 miles/40 minutes away. Absolutely gorgeous parks and lake I must say. The bonus with Groton Forest is that if you are camping at one park, admission is free to all other Groton parks, so there is quite a bit to explore here.
Waterbury, VT - The station here is right on Main St in Waterbury, and Little River State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is a little over 5 miles from the station. Another beautiful park, right on Waterbury Reservoir for swimming, fishing and boating. They also have the camping cabins at this park. Close by is Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and about 20 miles away is Stowe, a big "touristy" area with all kinds of activities and food options.
Essex Jct, VT - No State Park camping options *real* close by here. There is Underhill State Park about 30-40 minutes to the Northeast and Mt Philo State Park about 30-40 minutes to the Southwest. There are probably many more private camping options here due to the proximity to Burlington, VT (our biggest city) and Lake Champlain.
St Albans, VT - Ok, this is where it gets FUN! LOL! A mere 6-7 miles from the Amtrak station is Burton Island State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), this place should be on everyone's bucket list! This is a private island in Lake Champlain that is only accessible by boat, and the entire island is a State Park for tent camping only. It has all the amenities of the main land parks, including showers and a park store/food service area. You can take a 10 min ferry to the island from Kill Kare Park, or provide/rent your own boat and go on your own. This is obviously a very popular park, rightly so, I recommend reserving early to get a site here as they are often sold out as soon as reservations open for the season. Also available through Burton Island Park is Woods Island State Park, a remote, boat access only (must provide your own craft, no ferry) private island campground a short distance north of Burton Island. Woods Island is a more primitive camping, pit toilets and no potable water on the island.
Should you be a camper that doesn't have a car or if you want to double your adventure and take a train to your camping destination, this list is for you! Vermont has two Amtrak routes through the state, the Ethan Allen Express (NYC to Rutland, VT) and the Vermonter (Washington DC to St Albans, VT) that have quite a few stops along the way for great camping opportunities in the State Parks.Pretty much every developed campground in the VT State Park system has hot showers (pay), flush toilets, potable water spigots, and firewood available at site. There are parks that have some primitive sites with no services, and of course the hiking trails are abundant here in VT, and some have shelters or dispersed camping areas (free) available for overnight camping on the trails or in the National Forests. I'll just cover the State Parks in this post though, otherwise we'd be here all day listing out all the amazing camping options in our beautiful Green Mountains. On to the routes/camping options:
Ethan Allen:
Castleton, VT - About 5 miles from the Amtrak station is Bomoseen State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), there are convenience stores and restaurants in a 5 mile radius from the park. Bomoseen park is right on the lake and is very nice, some wooded sites and some open sites, and even a few waterfront ones. They also have a snack bar and boat rentals at the beach. I believe there is a public transit bus that runs through here (The Bus) for Castleton State College, but not sure of where the stops are.
Rutland, VT - The Amtrak station in Rutland is in the main downtown area, it's actually right next door to a Walmart plaza. The same public transit bus (The Bus) runs out of downtown to pretty much anywhere you would want to go in the Rutland County area. One of the routes goes up over Mendon Mtn to Killington and intersects the Long Trail, so hiking is pretty big in this area. There is Gifford Woods State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) in Killington, a short walk down Rte 100 from the intersection of Rte 4 and 100 where the bus runs. Gifford is a very nice park also, they even have cabins available there, as well as the usual tent sites and lean to sites. There is a small-ish pond across the street from the park for boating, fishing and swimming. There is a convenience store at the intersection of Rte 4 and 100, and some restaurants about a mile away in the Killington resort area.
Vermonter:
Brattleboro, Vt - About a mile from the Brattleboro Amtrak station is Fort Dummer State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations). I haven't actually been to this park, so I can't give you first hand details. There's no lake/pond at this park, but there is a short trail that goes direct to a local swimming hole. About 2-3 miles from the park is the downtown area with shopping, restaurants and the like.
Bellows Falls, VT - There are no State Parks close to this station. Townshend State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is about 40 minutes away (driving) and Jamaica State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is about an hour away (driving). I haven't been to Townshend, but have been to Jamaica and thought it was one of the best campgrounds I have ever been to. It sits right on the West River and they have lean to sites that are right next to the river, so nice to listen to while laying in your tent at night. But I think the only way to get there would be to rent a car.
Claremont, NH - The Amtrak station here is in a relatively residential area, the shopping centers and downtown area are a few miles away. The closest VT State Park is Wilgus Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) about 10 miles away. This park sits right on the Connecticut River, so very popular for boating and fishing. Canoe and kayaks are available at the park. They have cabins at this park as well. Also close by is Mt. Ascutney State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) that has a campground as well and features many hiking options.
Windsor, VT - See Claremont, NH above. Windsor is about 10-12 miles (10-15 minutes) Northwest of Claremont, so same camping options for this stop.
White River Jct, VT - Quechee Gorge State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is the closest park to the WRJ station about 6-8 miles away. This park is right on Vermont's deepest gorge, and is pretty cool to see, and has great boating, fishing and swimming as well as hiking/walking trails through and around the gorge. The gorge is one of the more "touristy" areas of VT, but still fun to see and there are plenty of amenities nearby.
Randolph, VT - This station is right "downtown" in Randolph, but there aren't any camping options right close by. Good place to stop en route for supplies as stores are right next to the station. Oh, there is a Chinese food restaurant across the street from the station that will bring you a takeout order right to the platform if you call ahead though, that's pretty cool! LOL! Otherwise, the closest State Park is Silver Lake Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), and although that park is absolutely beautiful, it's about 20 miles away and Rte 12 to the park is closed for bridge construction from that side this summer, so the detour would be a bit longer.
Montpelier, VT - Our State Capital! And the smallest state capital in the United States. The train station here is a bit off the beaten path though, it's about 2-4 miles to the downtown area and the Capital Building from the station. The closest state campgrounds here are the Groton State Forest group of parks (Stillwater, Kettle Pond, Ricker Pond, New Discovery and Big Deer), but those are about 30 miles/40 minutes away. Absolutely gorgeous parks and lake I must say. The bonus with Groton Forest is that if you are camping at one park, admission is free to all other Groton parks, so there is quite a bit to explore here.
Waterbury, VT - The station here is right on Main St in Waterbury, and Little River State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations) is a little over 5 miles from the station. Another beautiful park, right on Waterbury Reservoir for swimming, fishing and boating. They also have the camping cabins at this park. Close by is Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and about 20 miles away is Stowe, a big "touristy" area with all kinds of activities and food options.
Essex Jct, VT - No State Park camping options *real* close by here. There is Underhill State Park about 30-40 minutes to the Northeast and Mt Philo State Park about 30-40 minutes to the Southwest. There are probably many more private camping options here due to the proximity to Burlington, VT (our biggest city) and Lake Champlain.
St Albans, VT - Ok, this is where it gets FUN! LOL! A mere 6-7 miles from the Amtrak station is Burton Island State Park (click here for info/interactive park map/reservations), this place should be on everyone's bucket list! This is a private island in Lake Champlain that is only accessible by boat, and the entire island is a State Park for tent camping only. It has all the amenities of the main land parks, including showers and a park store/food service area. You can take a 10 min ferry to the island from Kill Kare Park, or provide/rent your own boat and go on your own. This is obviously a very popular park, rightly so, I recommend reserving early to get a site here as they are often sold out as soon as reservations open for the season. Also available through Burton Island Park is Woods Island State Park, a remote, boat access only (must provide your own craft, no ferry) private island campground a short distance north of Burton Island. Woods Island is a more primitive camping, pit toilets and no potable water on the island.
Comment