Woodford State Park, VT
My family decided to take a last-minute camping trip over Father’s Day Weekend, and we choose Woodford State Park, based upon a recommendation from a co-worker of my wife.
Typically, we camp at state parks. I prefer them over family campgrounds. I had never camped growing up, and it was my wife who turned me on to camping as we were dating. We’ve mostly camped in State Parks in PA, NH, NY, and they’re all pretty similar. We’ve only camped in VT on one other occasion, at Coolidge State Park by Killington, and we loved it. I wish that there was more camping options in VT!
I was amazed that there was availability at this campground, which offers several types of campsites. They’ve got tent/RV sites, lean-tos, and 4 beautiful cabins. Like most state parks, they don’t offer electrical hookups, which is to me is ideal. We chose site #71, which was very close to the camper’s beach. While I wouldn’t consider this a beach to hang out at, it was perfect for launching the kayaks we brought. It was very easy to haul our boats down to the beach. We didn’t bother locking them up, but I’d recommend it just in case…
The bathrooms and showers were very close as well. Sometimes state park campgrounds can have very mediocre bathroom accommodations, but these were some of the cleanest I’d encountered.
The reservoir is fairly small, but the fishing seems very good. Over the course of the weekend, I only saw a few people fishing from shore at the day-use area, and never saw anyone fishing on the water. It is very well-stocked with brook trout.
Here’s what they’ve put in it this year:
I don’t hold a VT fishing license, so I didn’t bring my gear. Of course, it’s easy enough to obtain one, and I could have gotten either a 1-day or a 3-day, but decided against it. I really just wanted to relax. While fishing IS relaxing, I just wanted to leisurely paddle around all weekend with the family.
I did bring my camera, though. My son spent most of his time on the water snapping pictures of pretty much anything he saw, and I was only able to use it for a small window. (It always seems to go that way, and I guess I need to buy him his own camera). The only picture I was proud enough to share is at the top of this post, of the loon nesting. I love loons, and it has unfortunately been several years since I’ve been able to spend time on the water with them. They always seem to amaze me. This is a fairly small body of water, and there was only one pair. I was hoping to hear their haunting calls while I was there, but all I could hear were owls all night long. … not a bad consolation.
On Saturday morning, we headed out to breakfast at a place I wanted to check out. It’s a little breakfast/lunch place not far from the park on Route 9, just as you’re about to enter Bennington. Papa Pete’s is apparently known for their giant 14″ pancakes. They’ve got a Man vs. Food challenge to eat 3. We passed on that dare. All three of us ordered the Lumberjack, which was a hearty breakfast that included a smaller pancake. It took a while for our food, but it was delicious. I would best describe the place as “rustic.” It wasn’t horrible, but definitely wasn’t a Michelin-starred establishment. That being said, I would definitely recommend it.
After, we headed into Bennington to visit the Battle Monument. My wife and I had been there before and wanted to share it with our son. When my wife and I were there previously, it had just closed for the day. This time, we able to take the elevator up to the top, which offered a great view, and for $8, it was a pretty cool experience. They were very knowledgeable about the history, and I learned a lot from the elevator attendant.
Next up as a quick trip up to Manchester, where we visited Orvis, and had a quick snack at Ben and Jerry’s.
Sunday and Monday were spent paddling. We packed up on Monday morning, and on the way home, we stopped for breakfast in Wilmington at Village Roost. We enjoyed the home-made bagels and yogurt. They serve lunch starting at 11am, and we were too early. Looking at their menu, we’ll have to return at some point soon for a burger (they looked outstanding)!
We often take spur-of-the-moment camping trips, and it was great to find a place that was clean, close, and seemed to be the perfect place for a weekend escape. We took a look around the campground, and there weren’t many sites that we wouldn’t be more than satisfied with. The waterfront sites are elevated, and most have a path down to the water. Many of them had a small area to store and launch a kayak from. If I had to choose a waterfront site, I would go with 44, 45, or 70. Sites 22 and 23 were nice too, but I would only recommend them if you were looking for two sites together, as they’re very close and I don’t know if I’d like to be that close to another site.
The lean-to offerings are wonderful as well, but farther from the water than I’d like. They seem to be identical to the lean-tos that are at Coolidge State Park, and probably other VT parks as well.
The four cabins looked amazing. Of the four, Trillium was by far the best. It’s at the end of the road and is the most secluded and offers the best view of the water. Gentian was a close second, and it’s ADA accessible, so it has a ramp that limits the access to the fire pit area in the front of the cabin. They book up quick, and I think we may book one for a random weekend next summer.
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