Vermont State Park Review-Sand Bar

I was ecstatic when I was given a 10 visit pass from Vermont Parks and Recreation to be able to review some of my local state parks this summer. When I started this blog, my intentions were to help Vermonters out, that slowly evolved into helping everyone out (no matter which state they were in), and now this review opportunity is allowing me to shed light and share my state with everyone near and far, I mean lets face it some people don't even know Vermont is a state (Yes, it's hard to believe, but when I went to boot camp years ago, some people did ask what STATE Vermont was in).

My first visit, using my pass, was to the Sand Bar, it ended up being a bust because it started raining 20 minutes after we got there, so my review is going to be a little lacking. From past experiences though this is a GREAT park if you have young children, it's all sand under water, very little seaweed (if any until you get way out), no rocks, very few clams, and the water is very shallow (adults usually have to wade a quarter mile out for the water to reach their hips).

At this moment the water is VERY low at the Sand Bar, about 40ft of whats supposed to be water is...well... not, you can see in my picture above that the dark sand is supposed to be underwater; there's actually grass and flowers growing in spots that should be covered in water. This problem isn't just at the Sand Bar though, the water is considerably low all around Lake Champlain right now.

Aside from the water being low right now, the Sand Bar is still a great place to go. It has plenty of parking (paved parking lot), horseshoe pits, little BBQ grills, almost a ridiculous amount of picnic tables (which is good because it's usually very crowded during the summer), a volleyball court, rentals, a snack shack (which was closed when I went), swings, and bathroom/changing facilities.

There is a large grassy area up until the beach, which is great for picnics, don't worry about shade because there are plenty of shady trees. It's also very clean, it's a take in, take out park (what you bring in you need to bring out).

If you are looking for a kid friendly park or a spot for a company outing, I suggest heading to the Sand Bar, just be sure to check the weather first or you might end up rained out like I did.

Additional info:

• Cost:

• $3 per adult (ages 14+)
• $2 per child (ages 4-13)
• Children 3 years old or younger are FREE
• Weekends or holidays it's an extra .50 per person (children under 3 are still free)
• Seasonal Vehicle pass-$80
• Seasonal Individual pass- $25
• 10 Visit Punch Card- $20
• School Groups- K-12 school groups = $.50 per person
• Green Mountain Passport-$2.00. Available at your local Town Clerk's office only.
  Provides free day use pass for life for one individual if you are:
  a) totally disabled due to military service, or
  b) 62 years of age or older

• Rentals:

	Minimum rental	Hour	Half day	Full day
Rowboats, canoes and single person kayaks	1 hour	$7.50	$20.00	$35.00
Two person kayaks	1 hour	$12.00	$32.00	$50.00
Pedal boats with personal flotation devices	1/2 hour	$5.00

 

For additional information go to Vermont State Parks website or call: 1-888-409-7579

I was given a 10 visit pass by Vermont Parks and Recreation, in no way did this effect my thoughts or opinions of the Vermont parks I visited.