Best State Parks in Vermont

Vermont's state park system leans directly into the state's strengths — mountain passes, gorges, and lakes — and functions less as a collection of isolated preserves than as a set of gateways into the broader Green Mountain landscape.

Smugglers' Notch State Park

Set inside the dramatic mountain pass of the same name, this park combines towering cliff walls, boulder caves, and access to some of the state's best hiking, giving visitors the rugged, enclosed-mountain version of Vermont scenery in a single stop.

Quechee State Park

Quechee gives visitors easy access to Quechee Gorge, a nearly 165-foot-deep chasm carved by the Ottauquechee River and often nicknamed "Vermont's Little Grand Canyon." Its accessibility from a main highway bridge makes it one of the most-visited natural landmarks in the state.

Lake St. Catherine and Bomoseen State Parks

These parks anchor Vermont's warm-weather lake culture in the western part of the state, offering swimming, boating, and campground access that balance out the state's better-known mountain and ski identity with a genuine summer recreation economy.

Maidstone State Park

Tucked into the Northeast Kingdom, Maidstone protects one of the state's cleanest and most remote lakes, giving visitors a quieter, less developed version of Vermont than the busier central corridor offers.

Underhill State Park

Underhill provides the quieter, western approach to Mount Mansfield, favored by hikers who want to reach the same summit as the crowded Stowe side without the gondola traffic, its access road climbing through forest that stays notably cooler than the valley floor below.

Mount Philo State Park

Vermont's oldest state park, Mount Philo delivers an outsized view-to-effort ratio: a short, family-friendly climb rewarded with sweeping views over the Champlain Valley toward Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks beyond, making it one of the most popular quick outdoor stops in the state.

A System Built Around Access

Vermont's best parks succeed by connecting visitors efficiently to the landscape's most dramatic features — a gorge, a mountain pass, a lake, a summit view — rather than asking for a major backcountry commitment to see the state at its best.