• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Vermont Explored Logo

Vermont Explored

Vermont Travel and Outdoor adventures

  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Regions
    • Southern Vermont
    • Central Vermont
    • Northern Vermont
  • Outdoors
    • Camping
    • Hiking
    • Lakes and Rivers
    • National Forest
    • State Parks
    • photography
  • Explore
    • Attractions and Historic Sites
    • Food & Drink
    • Road Trips
    • shopping
    • Small Towns
    • Weekend Getaways
  • Lodging
    • Glamping
    • Hotels & Inns
    • Vacation Rentals
  • Show Search
Hide Search

A Secret Vermont Treasure: Groton State Forest

This post may contain affiliate links from which we earn a small commission.

Like many of Vermont’s most wild places, Groton State Forest is off the beaten path, nestled between the Green Mountains to the west and the hills of the Connecticut River Valley to the east. It’s one of Vermont’s largest publicly owned areas, encompassing almost 30,000 acres, and seven unique state parks.

Groton State Forest and the Vermont State Parks within it, provide plenty of variety for adventurers, who come here to hike, bike, paddle, fish, camp, and relax.

Our family tries to visit Groton State Forest as often as we can. We love that it is one of Vermont’s most remote wilderness areas, and we enjoy exploring the hiking trails, ponds, and campgrounds throughout this massive natural area. We’ve explored many of Groton’s trails, lakes, and ponds, but there’s so much more that we’ve yet to see!

My most recent home base within Groton State Forest was Ricker Pond State Park,  which was recommended by one of the Vermont State Park rangers as being on the quiet side (we’re always looking for quiet).  

I slept in a lean-to near the shores of Ricker Pond, but each day I set out to explore the rest of the lakes, ponds, mountains, bogs, and woods that make this place so special. Here are my favorite adventures (so far) in Groton State Forest.

Hiking through Peacham Bog

Signage within Peacham Bog Groton State Forest
The boardwalk through Peacham Bog in Groton State Forest.

Located in the very heart of Groton State Forest, Peacham Bog is one of the largest and most beautiful bogs in all of Vermont. Peacham Bog Natural Area encompasses 728 acres, but the bog itself is about 200 acres. It’s considered a dome bog, which means that it rises slightly above the local topography.

I recently hiked the 4.5-mile Peacham Bog Loop Trail, which took about 3 hours with a stop for lunch. I didn’t see anyone else on the hike, but I did discover an abundance of songbirds (various warblers), millions of dragonflies, and the carnivorous pitcher plant, which was in flower and really beautiful.

Peacham Bog Groton State Forest
The pitcher plant flower in bloom

The Peacham Bog Loop Trail begins at the nature center on Boulder Beach Road. Pay careful attention to your map and the signage as you’re hiking, because there are a lot of connecting trails. I took a wrong turn at one point, and could only back track to find where I went wrong. Lesson learned.

Peacham Bog is a great place for a picnic — just follow the boardwalk to the lonely bench. This marks the halfway point if you’re following the Peacham Bog loop.

Peacham Bog Groton State Forest
The boardwalk through Peacham Bog in Groton State Forest
Peacham Bog Groton State Forest
Those pitcher plants are real killers!

Early Morning Paddling in Ricker Pond State Park

I was lucky enough to score a lean-to (Aster) right next to the canoe launch on Ricker Pond, so I took full advantage, and woke up early to paddle into the sunrise.

There were at least 5 loons paddling with me through the fog, and they seemed to enjoy playing hide and seek with me as I paddled along. Ricker Pond’s small size allowed me to paddle along the whole shoreline as the sun was rising and still be back to the lean-to in time for a cup of coffee.

Ricker Pond State Park has a lovely, small campground, and just about every site is either on the water or set above it with an awesome view of the pond.

Sunrise and fog at Ricker Pond State Park
Foggy sunrise at Ricker Pond State Park in Groton State Forest.

Afternoon Swimming at Boulder Beach State Park

 Boulder Beach State Park is definitely the place to be for family swimming, picnicking, and frolicking. There’s a fabulous sandy beach, and the water is clear and weed-free. It was high summer when I last visited, and really hot, at least for Vermont. There were a lot of people at the beach — cooling off in the water or relaxing on the shore, but not so many that it felt crowded. I treated myself to ice cream at the snack bar and floated the rest of the day away.

Two young swimmers at Boulder Beach State Park
Swimmers cooling off at Boulder Beach State Park

Watch the Sunset from Owl’s Head 

I asked a local friend where I should hike to catch the sunset, and she didn’t even hesitate for a minute before suggesting Owl’s Head. The trailhead to Owl’s Head is in New Discovery State Park.

It’s a moderately steep hike and just 1.5 miles, so you can easily hike up for the sunset and be back to your car before dark. The Owl’s Head hike is a great hike for families with kids, and the views are fantastic!

Sunset over Kettle Pond in Groton State Forest, Vermont
Sunset over Kettle Pond from the top of Owl’s Head

A Hike and a Swim at Kettle Pond State Park

Kettle Pond State Park is probably the most quiet park in Groton State Forest. There are a few primitive campsites that you can hike or paddle to, a trail around the lake, and a canoe portage.

The trail is strewn with boulders and the sparkling water of the pond is always visible through the trees. It’s a lovely trail for listening to the loons or discovering an elusive snowshoe hare. You’ll find a few nice swimming spots along the trail as well.  

A butterfly on thistle in Kettle Pond State Park
Spotted on the Kettle Pond trail in Kettle Pond State Park
A jackrabbit enjoying the evening on the Kettle Pond trail
A rabbit enjoying the evening on the Kettle Pond trail

Visiting Groton State Forest is like escaping back in time. The landscape is wild, the trails uncrowded, and the pace blissfully slow. Plus, the state parks within Groton State Forest will provide you with the quintessential summer-in-Vermont vacation you’ve been looking for — camping, swimming, paddling, and hiking. It’s an enchanting place, with a bit of magic for every explorer.


Written by:
Tara Schatz
Published on:
February 8, 2021
Thoughts:
2 Comments

Categories: Camping, Explore, Hiking, Lakes and Rivers, Outdoors, State Parks, Weekend GetawaysTags: Groton State Forest

About Tara Schatz

Tara is a freelance writer, photographer, and dog lover from Vermont. She is the founder and editor of Back Road Ramblers and Vermont Explored. She currently writes from a little blue house in Bennington, which she shares with her husband and two labradors.

Our Favorite Resources for Exploring Vermont

Here are our favorite resources for planning excursions in Vermont, including how we search for flights, rent cars, and find unique places to stay.

  • Flights: We use budget airlines whenever we can because we’d rather spend money on food and unique accommodations. We recommend flying into Burlington International Airport (BTV) when visiting Northern Vermont and Albany International Airport (ALB) in New York when visiting Southern Vermont. Our favorite airline, Southwest, flies into Albany, but we also check for deals on Kayak and Skyscanner before booking a flight.
  • Car Rentals: While we use our own car most often for road trips within Vermont, we rent cars when we travel to other parts of the US. We use Kayak to compare prices and find deals from dozens of car rental agencies at once.
  • Hotels: When it comes to lodging, we seek out small boutique hotels or quirky roadside motels all over the state. First, we search for hotels on TripAdvisor so we can read reviews from other travelers. Then, we use Booking.com to make reservations (they have the best prices, plus a flexible cancelation policy).
  • Camping: Camping is one of our favorite things to do in Vermont. We are partial to Vermont State Parks for camping (and we have a lot of Vermont State Park posts if you’re interested), and we love using The Dyrt Pro to find campsites and read reviews before booking. 
  • Glamping and Vacation Rentals: For weekend getaways and shorter vacations, we love glamping. We book glamping properties through Tentrr, Hipcamp, and Airbnb. For cabins and vacation rentals, we like to use VRBO (they have fewer fees and a better cancelation policy than Airbnb).
  • Guides and Maps: We always have a Delorme Vermont Gazetteer with us when exploring Vermont. It lets us plan road trips and find great hikes. Our favorite books about exploring Vermont can be found on Back Road Ramblers.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jim Stevens

    March 6, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    The picture with the rabbit is not a “jackrabbit”. There aren’t any in Vermont, it’s a varying hare or snowshoe rabbit.

    Reply
    • Tara Schatz

      March 6, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      Thanks for catching that, Jim!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Read Next

downtown Woodstock VT

10 Perfect Things to do in Woodstock, Vermont in the Fall

a pet friendly Vermont cabin on the the shores of a lake in Wolcott. Photo credit: Airbnb

Secluded Pet-Friendly Cabins in Vermont for Your Next Getaway

Shirley Harman and her two dogs on Vermont's Long Trail.

Hiking the Long Trail in Vermont with Dogs: An Interview with Shirley Harmon

Why Farm Camping in Vermont Should be Your Next Adventure

Vermont Explored Logo

Footer

Vermont Explored

Bennington, Vermont

Copyright © 2021 · Navigation Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Follow Us!