Groton State Forest, Vermont 7/10 - 7/14

T & I spent a few days and nights camping at Ricker Pond Campground in Groton State Forest in northeast Vermont. We took time to drive through several of the state campgrounds in the area and found Ricker Pond to be the nicest of them all. We chose to camp in this area as we had been to Groton State Forest several years ago while renting a small cottage in the woods in nearby Ryegate, VT. At that time we drove around and hiked the Peacham Bog Loop Trail from The Nature Center.


Once again, we camped in a lean-to site called Larkspur. The lean-to sites at this particular campground are named after flowers. This was our first experience with a "walk in" site, which simply means that rather than parking the car in the site itself, you park some distance away and haul your camping gear to the site. In this case we only had to walk about 60 feet, down a slight hill. The lean-to was tucked in behind another lean-to site (which was a very nice site on the water) and fairly private. It was wonderful to be so close to Ricker Pond as there are nesting common loons. Really a treat to hear them, especially in the middle of the night.


One of the luxuries that we bring from home is a queen size Aerobed that fits nicely in our tent. We set the tent up inside the lean-to, which keeps us up off the ground and keeps the bugs off (though the bugs were not that bad). We prefer to set the Aerobed up in the tent, then hook it up to a power converter that runs off the cigarette lighter in the car. This time it required the use of a long extension cord, and I was not sure it would work. We could have blown the thing up outside of the car and then carried it down, but I was hoping this would work and be a bit easier.
Power converter. This little thing is handy!

I brought a heavy duty extension cord, 50 feet in length which can be seen in this image. It was just long enough.
I did have to back the 4Runner up as close to the edge of the walking path as possible and used the power outlet in the rear of the car. We had just enough to get the job done. I was surprised that it actually provided the power over that length of cord, but now we know it will work.

View of Larkspur site with all of our junk. We had some concern over the placement of the canopy due to the fire ring, but we squeezed it in and it never caught fire.

Several nearby sites were taken up by a large group. At least four lean-to sites. Perhaps family or friends or both. Obviously this was some type of tradition for them. The lean-to near us was their kitchen/dining area and it appeared no one slept there. So, it was quiet once the kids were done with the fire and went to bed. The adults seemed to have another lean-to set aside as the bar.

At another site, we think unrelated to the crowd, was a young child that spent a good amount of time, day, night and very early morning screaming, crying, bellowing, sobbing and whatever other horrific sounds it could muster (aka birth control for me). I suspect it was sick, so I withheld the urge to holler "take it home!".


Our Hatchville Pottery mugs! It was great to have these along and much better than using a plain old boring mass production mug.

One of several tasty meals cooked over the fire. Chicken breast cooked to perfection, thank you very much.

A must have. The perfect toasted marshmallow.

We did our best to support the local breweries...

On Saturday we took a drive up to Owl's Head Mountain. There is a small shelter with picnic tables and large fireplace near the parking area.

At the top of Owl's Head there is an old stone hut constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Recently a structure was completed to hold an interpretive sign which can be seen in the lower left of the image. There is a blurb about it on the Vermont State Parks blog.

While we were on Owl's Head, we took the time to look for a geocache near the summit. I finally found it tucked in to the rocks.


That night, the rain and thunderstorms rolled in. So, what's a guy to do on a rainy night in Vermont? Sit in the lean-to and read Runners World by headlamp light, of course.

We woke to a beautiful morning. Mostly clear, with a bit of a breeze. Plan was to ride a few miles on The Cross Vermont Trail, which runs right through Ricker Pond Campground.
Sign at the campground points the way. The Montpelier Wells River Trail is also part of The Cross Vermont Trail.

Part of the rail trail near the campground.


The trail comes to an intersection in an almost forgotten town called Lanesboro. The trail is about all that is there now. We did see a few nicer homes in the area as well.

Old structures in Lanesboro, VT

Signs at the Lanesboro Road and Railroad Bed East road. This is a four-season trail.

Goon standing by a sign.


A little further down the trail we came across a small pond with a great spot to launch a canoe or kayak. This is the view of Owl's Head Mountain.

Large beaver lodge in a small pond closer to Marshfield, VT. This is about where we stopped and headed back.

On the way back, we found a patch of wild strawberries and stopped to munch on a few.


They are small, but have the best and most pure strawberry flavor. They are well worth the effort.

After lunch and some lounging back at the camp, we took a drive back on Railroad East closer to sunset. I had seen moose track on the way back and was hoping to see one.

View from Lanesboro Road at sunset.

We traveled a bit further towards and eventually into Marshfield, VT. We were startled to find this great waterfall on Lower Depot Road. We did not get to see a moose, but we enjoyed watching a snowshoe rabbit. T did get to see a beaver near the earlier mentioned beaver lodge, but I missed it.

We had a nice fire at camp. It became rather chilly. Easily in the 40s.

On Monday the 13th, we went to Osmore Pond via New Discovery State Park. Osmore has an easy loop hike and some great primitive camping at lean-to sites. One can paddle or hike to the sites.
We took a side trail to Little Deer Mountain to get some views of the area.

Lake Groton from Little Deer Mountain.


One of the four primitive sites along Osmore Pond.


Osmore Pond from one of the primitive sites.


We packed up camp on a beautiful, sunny morning and left at about 9:30 am. We certainly plan to come back here and see more of the area.

All I could find for firehouses in the area this trip was Groton Emergency Services. There's not much out there.


On the way home we stopped in Quechee to check out the state campground there. We have stayed there in the past, but wanted to look at a particular prime lean-to site again for a future trip, which we already booked. We also stopped at Laro's New England Specialties for a few things. We like this shop and try to stop here when in the area.


Trip Bird List:

Pine warbler
White-throated sparrow
Common grackle
Cedar waxwing
Common raven
Yellow-bellied sapsucker (many)
American robin
Red-eyed vireo
Yellow-rumped warbler
Black-throated green warbler
Black-throated blue warbler
Blackburnian warbler
Hermit thrush (numerous)
Common loon
Blue-headed vireo
Blue jay
Dark-eyed Junco
northern Parula
Wood thrush (many)
Ovenbird
Common yellowthroat
Red-winged blackbird
Mallard (w/ young)
Broad-winged hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Eastern phoebe
Black-capped chickadee
American goldfinch
Least flycatcher
Great blue heron
Golden-crowned kinglet
House finch
Alder flycatcher
Red-breasted nuthatch
Belted kingfisher
Winter wren
Hairy woodpecker
Veery(many)