In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From the bike path on Lake Champlain across apple islands, heron colonies and covered bridges to the rock-walled gorge at Lake Willoughby and the village greens of Craftsbury: around 500 kilometres of northern Vermont between lake, border and forest.
The spirit of the route
Northern Vermont is Vermont without the souvenir shops. The route begins on the shore of Lake Champlain, where the bike path runs out into the middle of the lake on a narrow causeway of marble blocks, then follows US-2 from island to island: apple orchards, vines, limestone walls, and to the west the Adirondacks rising above the water. Beyond Swanton the land grows hillier, the roads narrower, and the bridges get roofs. In the Northeast Kingdom there are more moose than traffic lights, lakes lie like mirrors between spruces, and Lake Willoughby squeezes between two rock faces as if someone had moved a fjord inland. From the sliding door you see mist over the water and hoarfrost on the maple leaves in the morning, and in the evening you hear loons calling. In between: village greens with white churches, cheese dairies, maple syrup in jugs – and the feeling that Canada is closer than Boston.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Burlington to Grand Isle (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- From Burlington via US-7 or I-89 (exit 17) onto US-2 heading west: across the Sand Bar causeway, a roughly two-kilometre stretch of road with water on both sides, you reach South Hero, then continue through orchards and fields to Grand Isle. Two lanes, flat, speeds mostly 40–50 mph, slower in the village centres. Pure driving time under an hour; the day belongs to Burlington and the bike path. There are only a few petrol stations on the islands – fill up in Colchester or Milton.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Burlington Waterfront: lakeside park with promenade, boat docks and the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain; the Church Street Marketplace, a car-free shopping street, is a few minutes' walk uphill. Sunsets over the lake and the Adirondacks are among the finest in New England.
- Island Line Trail (Burlington Bike Path): paved bike path along the shore northwards to the Colchester Causeway, a dam of marble blocks running far out into the lake. Across the gap in the causeway (“The Cut”) a small bike ferry run by the organisation Local Motion operates to South Hero from late May into September, weekends only in early summer and daily in high summer – check operating days in advance.
- South Hero: pick-your-own apple orchards, farm shops with cider doughnuts and a winery on the island; September and October are harvest season.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Grand Isle State Park: the second-largest and most-visited campground in the Vermont State Parks, on the east shore of Grand Isle with views across the lake, 115 tent/RV sites without hookups, plus 36 lean-tos and 4 cabins, washhouse with coin-operated showers and dump station. Reservations through the Vermont State Parks; season from the second weekend in May to the third weekend in October. Alternative right in Burlington: the city's North Beach Campground on the shore next to the bike path, with hookups and washhouse.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Burlington, overnighting in a vehicle on streets and at the waterfront is not allowed, and on the Champlain Islands there is no public land for wild camping. Sand Bar State Park at the causeway is a day-use park only – for a swim break and picnic.
- Insider tip for campers
- Leave the motorhome at the campground and explore Burlington by bike: from North Beach the bike path leads straight into town and out onto the causeway. If you want to go on to the Adirondacks, take the year-round car ferry from Gordon Landing on Grand Isle to Plattsburgh (New York) – motorhomes are carried, fare by length.
2Stage 2: Grand Isle to Lake Carmi (Enosburg) (approx. 115 km)
- The drive
- On US-2 across the bridge at Knight Point to North Hero and on to Alburgh, then on VT-129 across a bridge to Isle La Motte and back. From Alburgh on VT-78 across the Missisquoi River to Swanton, through the wildlife refuge, and via US-7 to St. Albans; from there on VT-105 and VT-236 into the hill country to Lake Carmi. Two-lane country roads, hardly any gradients, around 2.5 hours of pure driving time. Fuel and groceries in Swanton and St. Albans.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Knight Point State Park: day-use park at the southern tip of North Hero with a swimming cove and picnic meadow; the neighbouring North Hero State Park at the north end of the island is now also day-use only, with beach and boat ramp – there is no longer any camping there.
- Isle La Motte: St. Anne's Shrine commemorates Fort Sainte-Anne of 1666, the first European settlement in what is now Vermont. In the south of the island lie parts of the Chazy Reef, a fossil reef around 480 million years old, visible in the Fisk Quarry and Goodsell Ridge preserves.
- Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge near Swanton: delta of the Missisquoi River with floodplain forest, marsh and a large colony of great blue herons on an island in the delta (not accessible); in autumn ducks and geese rest here in their thousands. Short trails such as the Black Creek/Maquam Creek Trail start near the refuge headquarters on VT-78, open from sunrise to sunset; some trails are closed during hunting season and in spring.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Lake Carmi State Park: the largest campground in the Vermont State Parks, on the south shore of Lake Carmi near Enosburg Falls, 138 tent/RV sites and 35 lean-tos, no hookups, washhouse with coin-operated showers, dump station. Note: the season here ends as early as the second weekend in September – for autumn trips this site is out. Quiet alternative: Burton Island State Park off St. Albans Bay, reachable only by passenger ferry from Kill Kare State Park or by your own boat – the motorhome stays on the mainland.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Overnighting is prohibited in the Missisquoi Refuge, in the day-use parks on the islands and in Alburgh Dunes State Park; the car parks close at night. Wild camping in Franklin and Grand Isle County is only possible on private land with permission.
- Insider tip for campers
- The bridge to Isle La Motte and the roads on the island are narrow but fine for motorhomes; the fossil fields lie on side roads with small car parks – better on foot or by bike. In St. Albans a plaque in Taylor Park commemorates the raid by Confederates from Canada in 1864, the northernmost action of the Civil War. Pack insect repellent for the refuge.
3Stage 3: Lake Carmi (Enosburg) to Newport (approx. 80 km)
- The drive
- Via Enosburg Falls on VT-118 to Montgomery, then from Montgomery Center on VT-242 steeply up over the pass at Jay Peak and down to Jay and North Troy; via VT-105 and VT-100 to Newport. VT-242 is paved but has long climbs and descents – drive heavy vehicles in a low gear and spare the brakes. VT-58 through Hazen's Notch is a narrow gravel road, closed in winter and unsuitable for motorhomes. Around two hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Montgomery: the small valley on the Trout River has several covered wooden bridges from the late 19th century, including the Comstock Bridge in the middle of the village and the Longley Bridge on a side road. Park motorhomes on the edges of the village and walk to the bridges – the clearances are not for large vehicles.
- Jay Peak: ski and year-round resort right on the Canadian border; in summer and usually also during foliage season the tram runs to the summit on selected days, with a panoramic view over Québec, the Green Mountains and Lake Memphremagog. Check operating times in advance.
- Lake Memphremagog in Newport: long border lake, most of which lies in Canada; from the lakeside promenade and the bike path on the east shore you look north across the border.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Prouty Beach Campground: municipal campground of the City of Newport on the shore of Lake Memphremagog, around 75 sites, electricity (some only 20 amp) and water, dump station, washhouse with showers and beach. Check season and reservations directly with the city. Alternative inland: private campgrounds near Derby, Barton and on Lake Willoughby.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the Jay Peak grounds and in Newport, overnighting in a vehicle in public car parks is not provided for. The area around Hazen's Notch is hiking country with no vehicle camping.
- Insider tip for campers
- VT-242 is full of day-trippers on foliage-season weekends; drive early in the morning and use the viewpoint car park at the top of the pass. Newport has the largest supermarkets in the Northeast Kingdom – stock up here for the coming days and fill the tank.
4Stage 4: Newport to Island Pond (approx. 90 km)
- The drive
- Via Derby on VT-5A heading south: beyond Westmore the road runs directly along the east shore of Lake Willoughby, squeezed between the water and the rock faces of Mount Pisgah, with no shoulder and tight bends. On via West Burke to East Burke and on VT-114 through forest and bog northwards to Island Pond. Pure driving time around two hours. On VT-114 and VT-105 expect moose, especially at dusk.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Lake Willoughby and Willoughby Gap: the glacially scoured lake lies between Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor – the best-known landscape image of the Northeast Kingdom. The South Beach at the southern end is a good spot for a break and the photo into the gorge.
- Mount Pisgah (Willoughby State Forest): the South Trail starts on VT-5A and leads to viewpoints high above the lake; peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs, so observe areas closed at times.
- East Burke: starting point of the Kingdom Trails, a large network of mountain-bike and hiking trails across private land; day pass required.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Brighton State Park: campground on Spectacle Pond east of Island Pond, 54 tent/RV sites, 23 lean-tos and 5 cabins, washhouse with flush toilets and coin-operated showers, dump station, no hookups on the sites. Season according to the park administration from Memorial Day weekend to the second Monday in October. Remote alternative: Maidstone State Park, reached via a long gravel road, only for smaller vehicles.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Overnighting is not allowed in the car parks at Lake Willoughby (South Beach, trailheads). In Vermont's state forests, primitive camping is regulated for tents and backpackers (distance from water and trails, maximum stay); there are hardly any sites for vehicles – check the rules with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
- Insider tip for campers
- VT-5A along Lake Willoughby has only a few pull-offs; use the viewpoint car parks at the north and south ends and do not stop on the cliff section. Island Pond was a junction of the Grand Trunk Railway – the old station by the lake is a reminder of it.
5Stage 5: Island Pond to St. Johnsbury (approx. 65 km)
- The drive
- On VT-114 back south via East Burke to Lyndonville, then on US-5 along the Passumpsic River to St. Johnsbury. Hilly, well built, petrol stations and supermarkets in Lyndonville. Pure driving time around 1.25 hours. If you have time, make a loop via VT-105 towards Bloomfield on the Connecticut River – one of the roads in Vermont with the most moose.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium: natural history museum from 1891 with a wooden vaulted ceiling, display cases full of specimens and a small planetarium; it is also home to a well-known weather observation station for northern New England.
- St. Johnsbury Athenaeum: library with a 19th-century art gallery in which Albert Bierstadt's large-format painting “The Domes of the Yosemite” hangs.
- Dog Mountain: the grounds of artist Stephen Huneck on a hill above the town, with the Dog Chapel, whose walls are covered with notes remembering dogs that have died; dogs may run free in the meadows. Check opening times.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: There is no state campground in the town itself. Around 35 kilometres to the south-west lies the Groton State Forest with several state-park campgrounds: Stillwater and Ricker Pond (both with tent/RV sites, lean-tos, washhouses with coin-operated showers and dump station), plus Big Deer and New Discovery. No hookups; Ricker Pond is open until the second Monday in October, check the season of the other sites when booking – not all stay open until October.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In St. Johnsbury, overnighting in public car parks is not provided for. Use supermarket or department-store car parks only with the express permission of the branch.
- Insider tip for campers
- In the centre of St. Johnsbury the streets are steep and the parking spaces tight; leave the motorhome on Railroad Street down by the river or on the edge of town and walk up to Main Street. From Groton the detour to Peacham is worthwhile, one of Vermont's most photographed villages – very busy in early October during the regional foliage festival.
6Stage 6: St. Johnsbury to Stowe (approx. 115 km)
- The drive
- On US-2 west to Danville, then on back roads and VT-16 north via Greensboro to Caspian Lake and on to Craftsbury Common. Back via Craftsbury to Hardwick, on VT-15 west and via Elmore (VT-12) and Morrisville to Stowe. Some links are gravel roads – for large vehicles choose the numbered state highways. Pure driving time around 2.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Craftsbury Common: village green on a ridge with a white church, wooden fences and a view over fields to the Green Mountains – the postcard image of rural Vermont. Next to it is the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, known for rowing and cross-country skiing.
- Greensboro and Caspian Lake: clear lake with summer houses and a historic general store in the village; the area is known for farmstead cheese dairies.
- Hardwick: small town on the Lamoille River where Vermont's local food movement is concentrated – farm shops, a co-op store and markets.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Elmore State Park on Lake Elmore south of Morrisville: 44 tent/RV sites and 15 lean-tos in the forest, washhouse with coin-operated showers, beach and a hiking trail to the fire tower on Elmore Mountain. No hookups; season from Memorial Day weekend to the second Monday in October. In Stowe itself, Smugglers Notch State Park on VT-108 has small sites, more for tents and short vehicles.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Stowe area, overnighting in trailhead car parks and along VT-108 is prohibited, and Smugglers Notch is unsuitable for long vehicles. There is no wild camping here.
- Insider tip for campers
- Stowe and the Green Mountains are described in detail in the CampingSpirit guide “Maple red, birch gold and lobster buoys – by camper through New England's Indian summer”; this route can be joined seamlessly from here. VT-108 through Smugglers Notch is narrow and winding, unsuitable for motorhomes and towing rigs and closed in winter – heading north, divert via VT-100 and VT-15.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Northern Vermont has hardly any public land for dispersed camping with vehicles; the Green Mountain National Forest lies further south. Primitive camping in state forests is intended mainly for tent and backpack hikers and is bound by rules on distance and length of stay – details from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
- In the state parks, overnighting is only allowed on booked sites; day-use parks such as Knight Point, North Hero, Sand Bar and Alburgh Dunes close in the evening. Cities such as Burlington prohibit sleeping in vehicles on streets.
- Reservations: Vermont State Parks through their central reservation system (vtstateparks.com). Quite a few campgrounds close as early as Labor Day or mid-September (Lake Carmi, for instance), the rest mostly on the second Monday in October, Grand Isle only after the third weekend in October – foliage colour in the Northeast Kingdom often peaks exactly at this time, so book early.
- Rest areas and welcome centres on the interstates are for breaks; overnighting is not provided for there. Supermarket car parks only with the branch's permission.
- Border: the route often runs only a few kilometres from Canada. Always carry your passport and ESTA or visa documentation; the U.S. Border Patrol also checks inland. Sat navs may suggest routes through Québec – a border crossing means immigration control in both directions, food regulations and possibly vehicle conditions. In the border village of Derby Line, do not step over the marked line.
- Apps: iOverlander, Campendium, The Dyrt; Park4Night is little used in Vermont.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Dump stations: at the larger state-park campgrounds (Grand Isle, Lake Carmi, Brighton and others) and at private campgrounds; Vermont's state parks generally have no hookups on the sites.
- Drinking water: at the taps on the campgrounds; outside the season the water lines are often already shut off.
- Empty grey water and chemical toilets only at dump stations; discharging into lakes, streams or ditches is prohibited.
- Firewood: untreated firewood from outside Vermont may not be brought into the state since 2016 (only heat-treated, certified wood); buy wood locally, many parks sell it at the office.
- Propane: hardware stores, farm suppliers and some petrol stations fill US cylinders; European cylinders are generally not filled.
- Shopping and fuel: large supermarkets in Burlington, St. Albans, Newport and St. Johnsbury; on the islands and in the backcountry of the Northeast Kingdom petrol stations are few and far between and close early in the evening.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: interstates in Vermont mostly 65 mph, otherwise 50 mph where unsigned; through villages 25–35 mph.
- Mobile phone at the wheel hands-free only; Vermont has no toll roads.
- Frost heaves: frost damage makes many country roads wavy; take “BUMP” signs seriously and drive slowly, otherwise cupboard doors fly open and axles suffer. In spring there is also the “mud season”, when gravel roads are barely passable for heavy vehicles.
- Moose: especially on VT-105, VT-114 and VT-102 moose cross the road, above all at dusk and at night. A collision is life-threatening for any vehicle – drive slowly at night and watch for reflecting eyes at the roadside.
- Foliage season: from late September to mid-October, scenic roads, village greens and campgrounds are overrun at weekends; start early, travel on weekdays and secure reservations well ahead.
- Dimensions: narrow roads, covered bridges with limited height and width, and mountain roads such as VT-108 and VT-58 are unsuitable for large motorhomes and towing rigs; observe the signage.
- Emergency: 911. Mobile coverage in the Northeast Kingdom and at Lake Willoughby is patchy in places or fails completely; download offline maps.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Bicycle with panniers: the bike path in Burlington, the flat island roads and the lakeside path in Newport are at their best by bike.
- Clean, properly adjusted headlights and an itinerary without night driving: at night moose stand dark and without warning on the road.
- Warm sleeping bags and a diesel or gas heater with CO detector: in October, night frosts are the rule in the Northeast Kingdom.
- Passport and ESTA or visa documents within reach: proximity to the border means checks, even away from the crossings.
- Insect repellent and head net: mosquitoes and black flies at the lakes and in the Missisquoi delta, especially bothersome in early summer.
- Offline maps and a printed road map of Vermont: in the dead zone between Island Pond and Lake Willoughby no sat nav will help.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
