Essex County: Lakes, Trails and Railroad History

Essex County can be explored through a variety of natural and cultural highlights: your focus might be a lake, a longer trail through the countryside, or a station from the era of international rail travel. As you plan your trip, it’s worth first considering whether you’re most interested in water, hiking, or history.

Lakes and rivers as destinations

Island Pond is the source of the Clyde River and offers opportunities for paddling and fishing. From there, the Clyde River flows 40 miles northwest to Lake Memphremagog. For a recommended trip on the Upper Clyde River, start at Island Pond and finish at either Five Mile Square Road or Route 105 at the access point near Ten Mile Square Road. Check access to the put-in and take-out points before setting out.

Maidstone Lake also tells a story of its formation: glacial ice carved a deep basin into an existing valley, creating a deep, clear, cold lake. Nesting loons can be observed at Maidstone Lake. If you enjoy spending your days by the water, this offers a different focus from a river route with a set put-in and take-out.

Walking paths and longer routes

Brighton State Park has two swimming areas. The park also offers day use at Island Pond and camping on the shore of Spectacle Pond. Mostly flat, easy walking paths run around Spectacle Pond, along with a self-guided nature trail. The combination of swimming areas, short walks, and nature watching offers a different emphasis from the longer trails in the Nulhegan Basin.

The Nulhegan River Trail is a one-mile loop that starts and ends at the Nulhegan Basin visitor contact station. The North Branch Trail is four miles long, also a loop, and follows the North Branch of the Nulhegan River. It is accessible year-round from a parking area off Vermont Route 105. The Kingdom Heritage Trail is much longer: this 20-mile backcountry trail offers scenic viewpoints, starts at Lewis Pond Overlook, and leads to downtown Island Pond. The different trail lengths can help you plan hiking days around the type of route you want.

Winter and seasonal access

In the Nulhegan Basin, groomed trails are used for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Seasonal road rules are also important to your planning: roads in the Nulhegan Basin Division are closed to motor vehicles each year from December 16 through the Friday before Memorial Day weekend; snowmobiles are exempt. During this period, the roads remain accessible on foot, by bicycle, on skis, or on snowshoes. Snowmobiles can use groomed VAST trails.

Victory State Forest also offers opportunities for outdoor recreation, including wildlife watching, hiking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and horseback riding. Multi-use trails in the forest are open to horseback riding. Parts of Victory State Forest are open to primitive camping; check seasonal dates before your trip.

Railroad history in Island Pond

The Grand Trunk Railway Station in Island Pond was built in 1903–1904 for passenger service and U.S. Customs. In the Island Pond Historic District, the station is the central building and the last direct link to the region’s railroad history. The district derives its significance largely from its historic association with the Grand Trunk Railway, North America’s first major international railroad. Its buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries remain relatively intact and cohesive.

A collection in Island Pond includes photographs, railroad memorabilia, 19th-century clothing and uniforms, lumber industry tools, local newspapers, and Odd Fellows memorabilia. The river landscape also holds older stories: the Connecticut and Nulhegan basins provided the Abenakis and Mohicans with food, water, and transportation.

Choose accommodations based on your travel style

When choosing a vacation rental, you can first decide which experiences you want to shape your stay: paddling and fishing at Island Pond, walks at Spectacle Pond, a longer backcountry route, or railroad history in Island Pond. This lets you base your choice of location on your travel group’s interests and consciously weigh different outing options against one another.

Discover more destinations: Brighton, Grand Isle County, Franklin County, Windham County, Rutland County, Chittenden, Addison County, Windsor County.

For the broader travel overview: Vermont.