48 Hours in the Champlain Islands
Trails, Tastings, and Vermont’s Island Life
Stretching north across Lake Champlain, Vermont’s Champlain Islands showcase a side of the state where farmstands outnumber stoplights and summer days linger beside the water. This five-town chain — South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero, Isle La Motte, and Alburgh — unfolds in a sweep of apple orchards, bike trails, swimming coves, and tucked-away inns.
In South Hero, whimsical roadside dinosaur sculptures greet travelers on their way to bike paths, farmstands, and vineyards. Snow Farm Vineyard & Distillery, one of the region’s agricultural cornerstones, is not only Vermont’s first commercial grape grower but also the setting for a beloved summer concert series and a vibrant fall harvest festival. Make sure to visit the tasting room to sample Snow Farm’s spirits and wines along with local food pairings.
Grand Isle offers quiet roads ideal for cycling, while North Hero pairs easy access to the water with the winter thrill of snow-building contests, Zamboni rides, and gliding across Lake Champlain’s largest skating oval at the Great Ice! Festival. Don’t miss the Ellison Estate Vineyard, a regenerative winery farm where small-batch wines and lake views come together in one of the islands’ most picturesque tasting experiences.
Farther north, Isle La Motte draws visitors to ancient fossil reef formations at the Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve, 480-million-year-old fossils visible beneath your boots. And in Alburgh, the northernmost point in the islands, just shy of the Canadian border, snow-covered trails and open farmland lend themselves to peaceful winter days and quiet outdoor adventures.
Just 30 minutes from downtown Burlington, the Champlain Islands make for a great day trip or overnight getaway, delivering a pocket of peace, flavor, and beauty just beyond the mainland.
DAY ONE
GRAND ISLE AND SOUTH HERO
Settle in at Snow Farm Inn, its brick beehive oven warming the breakfast room. Outside, a waterfront garden path invites a sunrise stroll with steaming coffee in hand. The nearby Apple Island Resort presents another kind of stay — rustic cabins, tidy cottages, and the elegant Mott House, an 1830s home with wide porches and rocking chairs at the ready. Alternatively, camp at Grand Isle State Park, where shaded campsites, sandy beaches, and catch-and-release fishing make it easy to sink into island life. It’s also a great spot to break out the paddleboard or take a dip after a long bike ride.
Fuel up at Wally’s Place with a Montreal spice bagel and bold local coffee, or stop at DonnaSue Bakes+Cooks, a self-serve stand with breads, pies, and whoopie pies. Spend your morning traveling island roads lined with farms and shoreline views, part of the Lake Champlain Byway and the Lake Champlain Bikeways network.
History and whimsy lie just around the bend. The Hyde Log Cabin & Schoolhouse, built in 1783, still stands as one of Vermont’s oldest log cabins — and you can step inside to explore its preserved interior and exhibits for a glimpse of early island life. Across from White’s Beach, the Bird House Forest bursts with hundreds of candy-colored birdhouses, where the playful dinosaur sculptures hide among the trees. Nearby, miniature stone castles built decades ago by a Swiss gardener dot the roadside like fairytales come to life.
By late morning, the orchards call. At Allenholm Farm, Vermont’s oldest commercial apple orchard, you can pick apples and savor a maple creemee in the shade of the barns. Hackett’s Orchard extends the season with later-ripening varieties, while its market shelves brim with jam, pickles, and granola. Don’t miss one of their warm cider doughnuts for a real treat. Wander the Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and peruse tables lined with produce, goat-milk caramels, herbal soaps, and hand-spun wool — plenty of reasons to carry an extra bag or make some room in your bike basket.
After working up an appetite, head to THE REST STOP, a red food truck perched above Keeler Bay, for lobster rolls and smashburgers. Or try Seb’s Snack Bar, a walk-up window serving hand-cut fries, maple creemees, and burgers, with cornhole games and gift shopping next door at Viva Marketplace.
At Snow Farm Vineyard & Winery, stroll past rows of grapes before tasting the Marquette Red or their celebrated ice wine. With eight of the nine common varieties of wine available to pour, there’s something to satisfy most palates. Nearby, Fox Hill Maple boils sap from nearly a thousand trees into golden syrup each spring.
As dusk gathers, saddle up at Breakaway Farm for a moonlit horseback ride across meadows and woodlands. Afterwards, head to Two Heroes Brewery for a post-ride IPA, lager, or maple-kissed altbier, often accompanied by live music. Finish the day at Blue Paddle Bistro — try the hearty coffee-crusted pork tenderloin or butternut ravioli with rosemary cream, all crafted with local ingredients.
DAY TWO
ALBURGH, ISLE LA MOTTE, AND NORTH HERO
Spend your next night farther north. In Alburgh, Isle View Lake Cottages delivers a casual, family-friendly stay right on the shoreline. Sunset Rock RV Park on Isle La Motte provides a similarly laid-back setting, while the town’s Ruthcliffe Lodge brings a secluded stay with Green Mountain views rising across the lake. In North Hero, Shore Acres Inn sets the stage for tennis matches, swimming, and sunrises over the water, best enjoyed at their new lakeside patio bar that draws both locals and travelers. At the historic North Hero House, porches overlook City Bay, a sand beach stretches into the shallows, and steamship-era hospitality lives on in a refreshed dining room.
Begin the morning at Hero’s Welcome General Store. Fresh-baked pastries and jars of candy accompany endless shelves of curiosities, from fishing tackle to Vermont-made soaps. Pick up a a breakfast sandwich, then wander across the road to picnic at the water’s edge.
Midday is for discovery. The Chazy Fossil Reef holds 480 million years of geologic history, and you can learn about it at the Goodsell Ridge and Fisk Quarry preserves. Wander self-guided trails with plaques that point out the swirling shapes of gastropods and trilobites embedded in limestone, remnants of the world’s oldest known fossil reef. Just down the road, Saint Anne’s Shrine, built by French voyagers in 1666, invites reflection, picnics, and lakeside walks shaded by grottos and granite statues.
Lean into leisure in the afternoon. At Isle La Motte Vineyard (open on the weekends), small-batch wines flow in a rustic tasting room surrounded by rolling fields. Nearby, Lakewood Links Golf Club has nine relaxed holes along the shoreline. Stop at Harborside Harvest Market for fresh sandwiches and pizza or to grab fixings for a picnic at Alburgh Dunes State Park, where one of Lake Champlain’s longest beaches meets rare black spruce wetlands. For a dose of island creativity, Island Arts hosts concerts, dances, and gallery shows in a century-old barn, while GreenTARA Space transforms a renovated church into a café, studio, and exhibition space.
For a different view of the Champlain Islands, take a Driftwood Tours boat taxi to Knight Island State Park. Here, trails loop through 200-year-old hemlocks and remnants of farm fields. Or cycle the islands’ quiet roads, stopping at Pelots or Butternut Hill natural areas for short hikes and lakeside views.
As the sun sinks, head to Kraemer & Kin for a craft beer brewed with homegrown hops, pizzas, and a healthy dose of community chatter. Another option is to return to North Hero House’s Pier Bar for lobster rolls and cocktails as the bay glows pink. A moonlit stroll along the shore closes the day, with the moon mirrored in the still water.
In the Champlain Islands, life moves with the tides, farm fields meet vibrant villages, and every road seems to lead to the water’s edge. Come for the sunsets and shoreline trails — stay for the orchards laden with fruit, the markets and makers, and the easy rhythm of a place that feels like it exists on its own time.