BUTTON BAY STATE PARK



MONDAY

TRAVEL DAY
YEAR #3 - STOP #32



I'm happy to report that today's travel route came off with only one small GPS hiccup. Ever since our GPS routed us through Smugglers Notch we've been a little leery when the street signs showing the way to our destination don't coincide with the instructions our GPS is voicing to us.

Such was the case today when we drove past a sign saying turn here for Button Bay State Park. Turns out both routes would take you where you wanted to go but the GPS route was probably a few tenths of a mile shorter. I suspect the difference was the shorter route went through a small residential neighborhood and the city posted their signs to keep you on a little larger and more traveled industrial area route.

Either way we got here just fine and once again had to wait over an hour before they would let us check-in. No way to avoid it when there is a three hour difference between check-out and check-in times and only 52.7 miles in between campgrounds.



MONDAY - I am often asked, with all the places we could possibly go visit how do I select the ones we end up at? I have several different answers to that question. Sometimes it's a recommendation of someone we've met, sometimes it's the result of our favorite campground review website, Campendium, which posts a Camper's Choice List every year. Sometimes it's just the nearest campground to an attraction we want to visit, like a cave tour or a National Park property that doesn't have it's own campground.

But it the case of the three state parks we have visited while here in Vermont it comes from a National Geographic book I purchased several years ago. In this book the State Park Superintendent from each state nominates their choices of the top four or five parks they suggest you visit while in their state. These choices are made on the overall appeal of the park and not their campground atmosphere, heck a full third of them don't even have a campground.

Vermont's Superintendent selected four parks, the three that we have just camped in, Smugglers Notch, Grand Isle, Button Bay and the fourth is Mount Philo State Park. Now Mount Philo does have a small campground up at the summit, but they only allows tent camping and today we found out why.

The 968 foot tall Mount Philo is the dominant feature in the small Vermont town of Charlotte. There is a one-way single lane road that winds it's way up to the summit and then back down. There are several tight hairpin turns and one very narrow spot, even narrower than Smugglers Notch, that would prohibit any trailer more than 13 foot long to be able to negotiate.

From the summit picnic area you can see Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains of New York to the west, with the Green Mountains of Vermont visible to the east and south. We felt a cooling ten degree reprieve from the heat while up at the summit compared to the campground we left behind back down on the lake.

Words can't describe the views from the top of Mount Philo
so I guess we'll just have to share a few of the photos we took.



MOUNT PHILO STATE PARK



The view from where we parked the truck.
A short walk from the parking lot brings you to this wonderful picnic spot with a view.
The final few steps up to the summit of Mount Philo.
The view westward to the Adirondack Mountains of New York
That's all New York State on the other side of Lake Champlain
This is a view of the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont

HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW

Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.

Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.

Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.

WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?

1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow.
2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size.
3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the full resolution size photo.


Twice today we have driven over this bridge and caught a glimpse of the waterfalls. On the way back to camp we decided to stop and take a photo of Vergennes Falls from down at water level.

Vergennes Falls in where else, Vergennes, VT

We also stopped at a roadside store and picked up six ears of local, fresh picked daily, sweet corn on the cob, along with a pound of Vermont thick sliced bacon, a small sample of Vermont maple Syrup, some locally made Vermont Cinnamon Apple Jelly and some Vermont Smoked Sausage. Of course all of this set us back about $45, but you know what I say, "When in Vermont, eat like the Vermonters do!"



WEDNESDAY - Every day since our arrival here we have had an afternoon visitor, at least this one is smart enough not to try and take up residency inside THE POD. He hangs out in our back yard where we have the perfect position to watch him from (i.e. our office window at the dinette table). He sticks around for about an hour each day before he disappears back into the shrubbery.

Our daily afternoon visitor

Our side yard view from the doorway. The cabins are closed due to COVID restrictions so we have no neighbors, just like we like it!




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