Lake Champlain - Travel Planning

There's a lot more in Northwestern Vermont than Burlington. When I traveled to Lake Champlain in August, I planned a three-day trip that would give me some variety.

On day 1, I drove to central Vermont, hit Montpelier for lunch, and spent the afternoon doing a loop around Mount Mansfield. Waterbury, Stowe, and Smugglers Notch. I had planned on driving the auto road up Mt Mansfield but got there too late. So I drove to the area west of the mountain to catch Lamoille Valley farms at sunset.

On day 2, I stayed around Burlington. The plan was to do the city and then Shelburne Museum and Shelburne Farm. Burlington was more interesting than expected, so I stayed there all day.

On day 3, I traveled down Lake Champlain on the way home. Sunrise at Sandbar State Park, a tour of the apple orchards in South Hero, then Shelburne, Vergennes and Addison on the way home. Next time, I'll try to see the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison - in late October the snow geese migrate through in great numbers.

This is my favorite way to plan a trip. Two nights in a motel in an interesting area. The middle day in that area. Different routes coming and going. This gives me flexibility, variety, and time to rest. Within the three days, my subjects are determined, in large part, by the weather. Mountain scenes and water look best with blue sky and sunshine. Forests, wildflowers, and architectural details look best with haze or cloudy skies. If it's raining, I try to find waterfalls or running water. I have a spreadsheet with hundreds of locations to shoot. If you add the general categories of beautiful farmland, pretty harbors and gorgeous woods, the number is infinity.

A 3-day trip is a bit tight. It's important to schedule some time for relaxation and fun. So when you improve on my planning method, make sure you actually add some time for yourself. Take the hike, sit on the beach, shop in the general stores. Enjoy your trips - stop and smell the fresh-ground-artisan-roasted coffee!

The Champlain/Mansfield area is a beautiful location with plenty of variety. It's got real diversity - from a vital lakeside city to mountain wilderness to scenic villages and farms. In autumn, the Champlain Valley sees color much later than the mountains, so if you're not sure of your dates, you can choose to travel uphill for early foliage or down to the lake for late color. But it's a great place to go year-round.

Top: Shaw's General Store in Stowe
1) VT State House, Montpelier
2) Stowe village
3) Antique car in Stowe
4) Trapp Family Lodge
5) Smugglers' Notch
6) Cambridge, VT
7) Lamoille Valley farm
8) Mt Mansfield and Underhill State Park
9) Boyden Valley Winery
10) Sunrise in Sand Bar State Park
11) Apple orchard in South Hero
12) Farmland on the Champlain Islands
13) Shelburne Museum

Early Spring in Vermont

I never hit spring in Vermont. It's like the old joke - blink and you'll miss it. One day it's miserable. cold and raw, with bare trees and brown grass. Two weeks later, the trees have leafed out and it's summer. So I really had no idea what to expect last weekend. Just needed to get out of Boston, and Vermont was calling. I planned a route that would give me some variation, Woodstock to Rutland to Bennington, through the mountains and into the valleys, and threw in some nature preserves as well. My shotgun tactic worked - I can now say I have Vermont in spring.

The Old First Church in Bennington is best in spring. By summer, the maple leaves are heavy and overshadow the lovely architecture. But spring leaves are open and allow a view of the steeple. The adjoining cemetery has headstones from the 1700s, grim Puritan markers and more modern memorials, including poet Robert Frost's.

In the mountains, only birch and aspen were turning green, but the rivers were beautiful and there were wildflowers on the forest floor. And a nice surprise - my favorite road for red farms is lined with wildflowers of several kinds. Spent time talking with a farm wife who was cleaning up after sugaring season, and she had lots of pointers for shots along the road.

In Manchester village, the Hildene estate charges admission to the mansion, but welcomes visitors to the woodlands for free. Fiddleheads, Trillium, and even a Jack-in-the-Pulpit were waiting for me. A satisfactory trip, to say the least.