Is it time to go yet?” My six year old asked early Wednesday morning, excited for our annual end of school camping trip. Each June, my family and I pick a new area in New England to camp and explore. This year we picked Kampersville Campground on Lake Dunmore, located on the western edge of the Green Mountains in Vermont. The drive was about 3 hours from Peterborough, with a stop for lunch at King Arthur Flour. Kampersville is your typical privately owned campground with a general store, deli, ice cream, laundry, three pools, playground, game room, private beach with boat rents and weekend activities. The campsites were well maintained, in a wooden area, and provided plenty of space for some privacy from our neighbors.
We spent the first afternoon hanging out by the pools. There were plenty of kids my daughters age for her to play with, providing my husband and I time together.
The first morning we checked out a local hike I had found in my “Outdoors with Kids” book by Ethan Hipple and Yemaya St. Clair. The Silver Lake Trail is located about five minutes from Kampersville. This is a great place to spend the day as there are various outdoor activities for all skill levels. We hiked to Silver Lake, about a two mile hike up a tote road. Once at the top there are a few campsites, if you chose to spend the night. There is also an optional trail to walk around the pond. We chose to take a dip in the cool mountain lake. While enjoying the water, two loons swam close to us looking for their mid morning snack. My daughter enjoyed watching the numerous tadpoles sunning themselves in the shallow water. On the way back down the trail, there is an old sluice way draining into the lake as evidence of an old hotel that was there in the early 1900s. About halfway down the trail there are side trails to other ridge lines, a picnic area, a mountain stream with pools to swim in, a large waterfall and a beautiful scenic overlook looking down on Lake Dunmore towards the Adirondack Mountains in New York.
Across the street from the trailhead is Branbury State Park, also located on the shores of Lake Dunmore. This is a beautiful state park with camping, a long sandy beach, spacious fields, picnic area, canoe and kayak rentals, a new playground and more views of the area.
The second day we explored Lake Dunmore, I rented a paddleboard and my husband and daughter went out in our kayak. We would have done this sooner, but the lake was closed when we arrived due to it being treated for aquatic vegetation. Once on the lake, the water was crystal clear with views of the fish swimming below. Surrounding us were the beautiful Green Mountains.
There were plenty of outdoor activities to keep our daughter interested, while providing a relaxing atmosphere.
The state park fits with our style of camping. It would also be a great day trip.