News

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) in partnership with Ascutney Trails Association (ATA) announced the completion and opening of a new multi-use trail on Mt. Ascutney. The 8-mile Norcross Trail provides a link for mountain bikers and hikers between the Ascutney Outdoors Center and Mount Ascutney State Park.

Today the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) announced the launch of the 2021 Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Community Grant Program and the Enhancement of Recreational Stewardship and Access (ERSA) Trail Grants. These programs will distribute over $6 million to municipalities and non-profit organizations.

With swimming holes across Vermont getting busier as summer arrives, more than a dozen non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies in the Vermont Swimming Hole Collaborative want to remind the public about important safety and etiquette considerations.

Many Vermonters around the state are encountering gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) caterpillars causing defoliation of their trees. This invasive insect arrived in the United States over 100 years ago and has been expanding its range ever since. Gypsy moth can be a significant defoliator (leaf eater) of trees and shrubs.

The 27 popular remote campsites along the Waterbury Reservoir perimeter can be reserved in advance online at www.vtstateparks.com, or through the parks reservation call center at 1-888-409-7579.

The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has announced modified access to Hamilton Falls Natural Area. Hamilton Falls, a scenic waterfall owned and managed by FPR and located in Jamaica, Windham County, should be accessed via Jamaica State Park.

Vermont State Parks is happy to announce that the 2021 Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge is on! The Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge is a statewide outdoor scavenger hunt designed for kids (but anyone can participate), where participants earn points by completing fun outdoor activities and earn free state park day entry.

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) and its partners remind hikers of mud season at this time of year and ask for the public’s help protecting Vermont’s trails. And this year, COVID-19 is still a dominant concern, even with more people vaccinated.

If you have ever been curious about what working in one of Vermont’s State Parks is like, now you have your chance to find out, virtually. On Tuesday, April 6, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM, Vermont State Parks hiring managers will give an online presentation on job opportunities in Vermont State Parks this summer.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that the State of Vermont filed a civil lawsuit in Orleans County Superior Court for timber trespass at Hazen’s Notch State Park. The State alleges that, in 2019, the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) observed an area of trees and shrubs cut on State land within a designated natural area.