On Vermont's side of Lake Champlain, Button Bay State Park packs a lot into its 253 acres: lakefront campsites, mountain vistas across the water, and easy access to one of the Northeast's best fishing lakes. The park sits roughly an hour south of Burlington and about 2.5 hours from Albany, New York, on a stretch of shoreline where the lake narrows enough that paddlers can reasonably cross to the New York side and back.
The name comes from the button-shaped clay formations found along the shore, but the main draw is the view — the Adirondack Mountains line the western horizon, and sunsets over the water are the evening highlight. Visitors consistently mention the lake-and-mountains panorama as the reason to come.
Camping runs from late May to mid-October across two loops. There are 53 tent and RV sites plus 13 lean-to sites, each taking up to eight campers, and dogs are welcome throughout. The western loop has drinking water, an ADA-accessible restroom, coin showers and a dump station; the eastern loop, where the lean-tos sit (one is ADA-accessible), has restrooms, showers and water spigots. Firewood is sold on site. If you'd rather not rough it, four lakefront cabins — Orchid, Penstemon, Sedge and Sumac — sleep four across a bunk bed and convertible sofa, with room for six if extras bring their own bedding (and pay a supplement). The cabins have electricity and a fire ring but no cookware, towels or bedding, and stays run from two nights up to a week.
The water is the other big draw. A boat launch east of the campground gives access to Lake Champlain, which holds more than 80 fish species — expect brown, lake and rainbow trout, walleye, carp and both largemouth and smallmouth bass, with salmon and trout best targeted from a boat in deeper water. Bring your own kayak or canoe, though; there are no rentals at the park. One thing to know: the shoreline is rocky, so there's no beach. Swimmers use the lifeguarded seasonal pool instead, open in summer.
Beyond the campground, there's a 1.5-mile out-and-back trail hugging the water, a playground, picnic tables and a 300-person pavilion in the day-use area. The park is open year-round, but camping, the pool and water activities are seasonal.
For anyone planning a Vermont trip, Button Bay works well as a base for a low-key lake holiday — campers, paddlers and anglers get the most out of it, and it pairs naturally with a drive along the Lake Champlain Byway, which is at its best when fall colour hits the Adirondacks.
