Best Glamping near Rupert, VT

Beautiful campground in south central Vermont.  On a lovely emerald green small lake with nice beach. Good for fishing and kayaking.  Well kept. Was very quiet when we visited though I suspect it's much busier in mid summer.  Near Manchester, which has numerous great restaurants and a fabulous bookstore.

This campground is the number one rated in Vermont for a reason. The staff were wonderful, the sites are pristine and picturesque, the faculties are decorated with wildflowers. We met a number of AT through hikers, who were very willing to share their adventure stories.

Plenty of space between sites. Decent bathroom situation--I've seen better and I've seen worse in Vermont. The (AT&T) cell phone reception was pretty good, but could be slow at times (which could be because of the area or because of the busy fall color season.)

I have stayed here a couple times and loved it. they sites are nice and private. The views on some of the sites to the lake are beautiful. the grounds and facilities are well kept. and you are close to both Bennington and Wilmington. a great spot to camp at in Southern Vermont!

We just finished six nights at Emerald Lake State Park.  Camping at Vermont State parks is always top notch.  We had a lean-to site and good privacy from the sites around us.  There was plenty of room for our tent and screen tent.  Everyone was respectful and quiet, even on the weekend when it was busier.  Bathrooms were cleaned daily, showers were fine.  50 cents for 5 minutes and then extra time for each additional quarter.  Two bars of AT&T.  Manchester was an easy 10 minute drive away for provisioning, and we enjoyed a great hike to Lye Brook Falls (the trailhead was around a 20 minute drive).  We would definitely come here again.

We have camped at Woodford State Park in the summer and fall. It's a small park, but it never feels crowded. Most park activities are based around a small, 25-acre lake. You can rent canoes or kayaks, fish for trout, or hike the loop trail around the lake. Here's what we love most about camping here:

1)It's the highest elevation campground in Vermont, which means that when the temperatures soar in the valleys, you can come here for a noticeable temperature difference.

2. It's one of the most dog-friendly state parks. Dogs are allowed everywhere except three of the camping cabins.

3. The fall foliage is unreal!

There are great waterfront sites, cabins if it's too cold to tent, and the bathrooms are modern and clean.

Unfortunately, we stayed here on a pretty rainy weekend in June, but I have nothing but good things to say about our visit to Half Moon Pond. We stayed in site T06, which is right on the water. We were easily able to go straight from the tent to our kayak, which was so awesome. 

The bathhouse was very clean, the swimming beach is small but perfect, and there are even cabins for rent on the other side of the pond. Bomoseen State Park is right down the road, but I recommend staying at Half Moon and taking advantage of the large swimming area at Bomoseen, as well as all the cool ponds, lakes, and hiking trails nearby. 

Of all the Vermont State Parks we've camped at, Half Moon Pond is high at the top of the list for its privacy, quiet paddling, and proximity to other cool attractions. I wish I had more photos to share, but rain...

I've stayed at 10 of the state parks of VT. Gifford Woods takes the cake in friendliness of its staff. The park is amazingly clean, well run, located just of RT 4 and very near to Killington, Vermont. It has multiple lean-to sites which are in wooded areas. Cool stone bathrooms and playing fields for kids but the highlight (for me) is access to the Appalachian Trail. The AT runs directly through this park. While on a 4 state section hike I traveled by foot through this park. The ranger gave me an ice cream, pointed me to the showers and then chatted with me for an hour about my hike so far. He also gave me a ride to the Inn at Long Trail to pick up a resupply box since I was a few days behind schedule and low on food. I'll always remember his kindness. Living just across the state line in NH, I have frequented Gifford Woods on 4 other occasions for day hiking with family. Enjoy! I sure did!

This park is close to my house in southern Vermont. We usually visit during the day to hike to the top of the Mt. Olga firetower. It’s always clean and very quiet, so this summer we decided to give camping a shot. We stayed in one of the lean-tos because it was threatening rain. I wish I could remember the name of it. We love the site. The only thing we didn’t like is that is was facing the neighbor’s campsite, and we felt like we were always staring at them. They were friendly, though, so it all worked out.

The hike up Mt. Olga is 1.7 miles (round trip). There’s a fire tower at the top, which provides awesome views of the Green Mountains. It’s also fun to explore the relics of the old Hogback Ski Resort. They are rested remnants of the ski lifts and warming huts, and they are slowing crumbling back to the earth. The trails from the park connect to the Hogback Mountain Conservation area trails, so there are actually many miles of trails you can explore without having to drive anywhere. If you do want to embark on a little road trip, check out the little town of Wilmington, which has an awesome lake for swimming, or the bustling town of Brattleboro, which is perfect for shopping and nightlife.

We stayed here as a stopover on our way home to NJ from Maine. It's 5 min down the road from Wilmington, one of our favorite towns to visit. There are no hookups at any Vermont state parks (Molly Stark included). We stayed at site T16. It's a pull through RV site with a fire ring & picnic table. T16 is right next to bathrooms- unfortunately the map shows showers there too (there are not). We boondocked- there's a spot up top near the other bathrooms where you can fill your fresh water tank. We had a slight issue with our fresh tank overflow valve & the park worker was INCREDIBLE, helpful and so kind. I think his name was Jerry?. He came right over and even rigged up a fix for it in his workshop. We got him a 12pack as a thanks before we left :). Campground is quiet & nestled in the woods. We didn't see any bear, but it is an active bear area. Some tent sites have lean to structures as well. There's a large pavilion at the top of the campground for eating etc. If we stayed longer we would have definitely done the Mt Olga Fire-tower trail. This is no frills, primitive & refreshing camping. And yes- we would stay again!!

This is a nice state park located near the Quechee Gorge, a lovely place to explore and play. Vermont State parks often offer lean-to options and Quechee is no exception. If you don't have a tent, you still have a dry structure; if you do have a smaller tent, you can even pitch it in the lean-to. It give you some security for those wet camping trips that inevitably hit at some point in the summer!

The sites are broken up into several smaller loops; sites are large and private. A few of them are Y sites that make a nice setting for families and friends camping together. Sites are back-in, generally level with lots of space to pitch a tent. No hookups, but a dump station is available. There's a large field that a few of the sites back up to. Bathrooms were clean, showers are coin-operated, so bring your quarters. Firewood available for sale. Groceries are available nearby.

Take time to walk down into the gorge and explore the river. It's a great place to cool off. You'll need to walk back toward the visitor's center (there's a trail that will take you over to the parking lot) for the descent. At the top, check out the visitors' center. Farther afield you can visit the Billings Farm and Museum, explore trails at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, enjoy scenic Woodstock. There's an annual balloon festival and even if the balloons don't fly due to weather, there's music and other entertainment. Lots of small shops and markets in the area. In Quechee, VINS has a canopy walk and raptors; check out their calendar for events. Traffic can be a beast during

True story. We stopped at Molly Stark state park in Vermont on the way home after vacationing in Maine. The sign coming into the park said no vacancy. When we got to the parking area I went up to the office counter and said, “We’re just stopping through. My husband is going to ride his bike for a bit and we’ll eat lunch, but we’re not staying.” The guy working said, “You still need to pay something.” I said, “Of course. No problem.” He said $4, I paid & started to walk away. The woman working said, “We have very nice clean bathrooms if you need them.” Which I thought was nice. My husband rode for about 45 minutes and then we walked to the bathhouse for him to take a quick shower. He says, “Do you have 50 cents? It’s 10 minutes for fifty cents.” While he’s showering I’m walking around with our dog. She poos and now my husband is walking towards me with a bag to pick it up because his 50 cent shower is finished. Before we can pick up after our dog the office worker comes towards me quickly and says, “Here’s a poo bag. Now you’ve at least gotten your 4 dollars worth.” I said, “Excuse me?” And he says, “You tried to get out of paying in the first place and now you’re using our showers. You said you were just eating lunch and your husband riding his bike.” My husband says, “I paid fifty cents for that shower. I didn’t steal it.” The guy says, “You said you were just stopping in.” I say, “Do you want more money?” And he says he wants another 4 bucks. I walk up to the counter to pay and say, “I try to assume the best of people. I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to get out of paying. I saw the no vacancy sign and didn’t want you to think we were trying to stay the night.” He said that he’s tired of people with the nicest stuff … a multi thousand dollar bike and a nice RV trying to get something for nothing.” I reminded him that he said admission was 4 dollars and his coworker offered the bathrooms. He said, “So you don’t think you got 8 dollars worth of time in the park?” I told him, no, that we’d been there for an hour and 20 minutes and he’d told me admission was $4, but if the extra money would make things right for him then he could have it. I just didn’t appreciate him thinking I was trying to talk my way out of paying park entry, and I didn’t appreciate him assuming I had a character flaw. He told me again that it was rich people who tried to get out of paying, he was jaded & to keep my 4 dollars. What an odd experience.

Nice large spots available. Friendly employees. Beautiful lake with a nice trail. The road into the campground is super rough though.

https://hotshoe11.tumblr.com/post/176209737535/emerald-lake-state-park-a-real-gem

We used this as a base camp for doing some day hikes nearby. Bathrooms were clean, it was pretty quiet, and most of the sites were separated by 10-20 feet of trees. The sites are not big, but easily fit 2 cars, 2 tents, and still had plenty of room around the fire ring. The lake was also a great place to cool off after a hike.

This park is wonderful for families with kids. -We have an infant and a preschooler. The site and facilities are clean. It was very helpful to have a lean-to during a very rainy weekend. The lake and beach is lovely, clean, and the water is warm and clear. We love how there was a concession stand, a park, and picnic areas. 

Local area: Because of the amount of rain, we decided to explore Manchester and bought some gear at Mountain Goat -rain pants for our hike. We ate at the Road Runner which was fantastic. Our hike was about 10 minutes out from manchester at Lyle Falls. Highly recommend 2.5 miles up to a gorgeous waterfall. 

Additionally, we stopped by Honeypie in Jamaica for burgers and shakes!

Love emerald lake! Clear waters, calm lake. Sites are on the smaller side but plenty of room. Great hikes and fishing! And close to the adorable town of Manchester!

We try and get to Emerald Lake State Park at least a few times every summer. It's an awesome park for kids, and the turquoise water is a dream to cool off in. There's a small, sandy beach at one end of the lake, with a bath house and changing rooms nearby. Swimmers can swim out the a small island in the middle of the lake and check out the rope swing (I hope it's still there).

The campground is large, with three camping loops. While there are trails down to the lake from the campground, none of the sites are waterfront, or even water view. In fact, many of them are perched on a steep ledge, making them a bit sketchy for families with kids. If you have little ones, check out the map before you reserve a site and find one on the opposite side of the ledge.

The campground is super busy on summer weekends, but if you want solitude, hike some of the beautiful trails in the park. We especially loved the trail around the lake - quiet with good swimming all around. The vista trail has an awesome view of the lake from across the road, and the meadow trail leads to an old cemetery, which is kind of fun to explore.

There is some road noise from the campground at night, but overall this is a pretty fantastic camping experience.

Leantos at this state park give you protection from the elements - mind you not all sites have a leanto. (The kids also enjoyed the view from the top of the leanto but I cannot officially recommend that. : P ) Sites are on top of each other but some are more spacious and away from the others. You need quarters for showers. Dogs are allowed and I find that sites where dogs are present have less of a critters problems like racoons. The camp sites are quite a bit of a walk up the hill from the lake where there is swimming, kayaking, paddle boating and picnicking. As a result, we drove even though there were paths that people could take to go to the beach. The paths were not ideal when you have kids. There is some walking required from the parking lot to the lake and with kids and a lot to bring, it can be exhausting; but if you bring your own kayaks, you can launch at the inlet leading to the beach which cuts the walking. You can rent kayaks and paddle boats as well as life jackets.

Larchmont is our favorite camp site. It is much larger than most sites, a short walk to the showers and a bit tucked away for privacy. We had two tents set up there, which is impossible for most sites. This is a popular camp ground so reserve as early as 11 months before arrival.

There is a rope swing if you paddle away from the beach. It was great fun for the older kids. Also, exploring the island in the middle of the lake is another option.

We also drove 10 minutes to nearby Danby for horse-riding at Mountain View Ranch which is a good break from soaking in water every day.

We had a lean to site at this campground. facilities were great. the lake was beautiful and rented boats and canoes. Swimming is also available. Good central location.

We camped here with our dog on a tent site in camping area B. I really appreciated the VT state parks interactive campground map, which allowed us to see the sites from home and choose the one that would suit us best.

The site was large and clean, and relatively quiet even though it was a holiday weekend. Hiking trails are steep, so prepare for a good workout. We were a little confused about the No Dogs signs on the hiking trails, because it contradicted the pet policy on the park map that the ranger gave us. But we were glad to have an out of the way spot to launch our kayaks and take our dog for a boat ride.

Campfire wood was a reasonable price, but all of it was very wet! Fires were a challenge. I'm assuming that this was just a wet season here. Restrooms are about average for state parks. They were definitely cleaned daily. Don't forget to bring quarters for the shower.

Overall it was a great weekend, and we can't wait return!