We were blessed with some nice fall weather and decided to go on a weekend camping trip in September.  In previous years, we have camped in September and October only to be greeted by cold and rainy weather, so we had to take advantage of the nice weather!

Emerald Lake State Park is in the Green Mountain National Forest in Dorset, and an easy drive to us from New York to Southern Vermont.

Vermont

The park is easy to find, just off Route 7.

Emerald Lake State Park

The campground here is pretty big.  I remember driving through in the summertime, and it was extremely busy.  The campsites aren’t very spread out, and there is a busy highway just outside the campground, so you get a lot of road noise.  The sites aren’t very secluded, and some have a lot of gravel as well.  There are regular campsites and RV sites as well.

Emerald Lake State Park Campsites Dorset Vermont

We had decided not to go during busy season, but in mid-September it was pretty nice.

Emerald Lake Campground

Our leanto was “Sycamore”.  We did find there was a lot of road noise there, but had a beautiful view in the morning.

Emerald Lake State Park Vermont

There are bathroom facilities here.

Emerald Lake Bathroom

Emerald Lake Bathrooms

You don’t have to camp at Emerald Lake State Park – you can just go for the day to use the day-use area.

Emerald Lake State Park

The lake is named after it’s emerald green water.

Emerald Lake State Park

There are a variety of boats available for rent.  There is only non-motorized boating on the lake, which makes it peaceful for swimming, stand-up-paddleboards, and so on.

Emerald Lake State Park Paddle Boats

If you bring your own kayak or other boat, you can launch near the parking lot and paddle in.

Emerald Lake State Park

There is a small beach, which is nice for playing and swimming.

Emerald Lake State Park

My husband caught a huge crayfish, while the kids found lots of little ones, as well as fish, snails, and a newt.

Emerald Lake State Park Dorset Vermont

My daughter also found this cute Eastern Newt.

Emerald Lake State Park Dorset Vermont

Emerald Lake State Park Dorset Vermont

 

We enjoyed our time at Emerald Lake State Park, and hope to return again next summer to enjoy the lake again.

Check out Emerald Lake State Park on the Vermont State Parks website here: https://vtstateparks.com/emerald.html