Vermont's largest lake that sits entirely within the state isn't Champlain — it's Lake Bomoseen, and it anchors one of the Green Mountain State's most underrated state parks. Bomoseen State Park covers 3,576 acres along the Taconic Mountains near the New York border, a corner of Vermont that stays pleasantly uncrowded even in summer.
The park has an industrial backstory worth knowing before you go. Before it became a public recreation area in 1960, the land was a hub of slate mining. The easiest way to absorb that history is the Slate History Trail, an easy, self-guided 0.75-mile walk that leads to the abandoned 19th-century West Castleton company site — expect crumbling mill foundations, structures built from slate itself, and rubble heaps left over from the quarrying boom.
On the water side, the park puts you on a lake of roughly 2,400 acres with swimming, fishing, and boating all on the menu. Anglers target bass, trout, and perch, and there's a boat launch handy to campsites 40 through 56 for non-motorized craft. No kayak of your own? Concessions on site handle rentals. There's also a beach for cooling off — with a beach wheelchair available for guests with mobility needs — plus a playground and volleyball court nearby.
Camping is split across two loops with 55 sites for tents and RVs, plus 10 lean-to shelters, half of them right on the lakeshore. One lean-to is wheelchair-accessible, and each site sleeps up to eight. Expect restrooms, drinking water, a dump station, picnic spots, and a group pavilion seating up to 100 with tables and grills. Campers consistently flag the dark skies as a highlight — on clear nights the stargazing here is genuinely impressive. Dogs are welcome in the campground, but not on the beach or day-use areas.
The hiking goes well beyond the history trail. A 4.8-mile out-and-back route follows the eastern shore of Glen Lake, a separate 205-acre lake inside the park, with about 449 feet of elevation gain and a scenic overlook at the turnaround — budget around two and a half hours. If that's still not enough, extend to the Glen Lake to Moscow Pond trail for a full 8 miles round trip and 761 feet of climbing over roughly four hours, passing old stone walls, slate bluffs, and even a link into neighbouring Half Moon Pond State Park.
Why it matters: Bomoseen packs camping, water sports, and two very different hikes into one compact park, making it a low-cost, low-fuss alternative to Vermont's busier outdoor destinations. It's about an hour and 40 minutes' drive from Burlington and two hours from Stowe, so it works as a weekend base — with the pleasant little town of Castleton nearby for rail-trails and historic charm when you're done on the lake.
