22 Cedar Mountain Rd.
Castleton, VT 05743
Season: Friday of Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend
Day Use Hours: 10am - official sunset
Camping Camping: 55 tent/RV sites, 10 lean-to sites
Pets Pets are not permitted on the sandy beach, in the designated swimming area or in day use areas but are permitted elsewhere throughout the park. Please clean up after your pets.

Park Updates & Alerts

  • For the 2023 season we will be implementing a pilot program using shower tokens instead of coins. One token costs .50 for 5 minutes of hot water. Tokens are available at the contact station during regular operating hours.
  • Check for beach closures and latest swimwater test results for this location.
  • Firewood is not to be brought to parks from out of state UNLESS the wood is packaged, labeled as having been heat treated, and certified by USDA or the appropriate state department of agriculture. For more info, click here.
From Hydeville:
Go 4 mi. N on West Shore Rd., on western shore of lake.
Camping Camping: Bomoseen State Park has 55 tent/RV sites and 10 lean-to sites.
Hiking Hiking: Several hiking trails, including one to Half Moon Pond State Park.
Swimming Swimming: Bomoseen has a sandy beach for swimming and a snack bar.
Boating Boating: Boats are available to rent (kayaks, canoes, pedal boats and row boats).
Fishing Fishing: Lake Bomoseen offers great fishing opportunities. Trout, perch and bass are among some of the species that can be found.
Picnicking Picnicking: Plenty of good picnicking opportunities at this park. Bomoseen also has a picnic pavilion available for rent.
Nature Program Nature Programs: This park offers nature programs.
Volleyball Volleyball: There is a volleyball net in the day use field.

Welcome

Bomoseen State Park beach
Bomoseen State Park is a great place for building sand castles!
Park of the Year

Welcome to Bomoseen State Park. The 3,576-acre park is located in the Taconic Mountains on the shores of Lake Bomoseen, the largest lake entirely within Vermont’s borders. The Taconics are the slate-producing region of Vermont, and the area's history parallels the rise and fall of Vermont's slate industry. The park contains several quarry holes and their adjacent colorful slate rubble piles as reminders of this period. These quarries provided slate for the West Castleton Railroad and Slate Company, a complex of 60 to 70 buildings that stood between Glen Lake and Lake Bomoseen. Several slate buildings and foundations remain in the park. A self-guided Slate History Trail leads hikers through remnants of this bygone era.

History

Part of the area comprising the park was owned by the Lake Shore Slate Co., owned and operated by Samuel L. Hazard. When Mr. Hazard passed away in 1929 the remaining property was left to his stepdaughter, Martha Warren. Mrs. Warren lived there year round, before making it her summer home. In 1959 she donated approximately 365 acres of land and included buildings to the State for recreational purposes and as a refuge and sanctuary for wildlife. A collection of historical objects is located in Mrs. Warren’s former home, which also includes the Park Ranger’s quarters.

Facilities / Amenities

First opened to the public in 1960, the park boundaries encompass more than 2,000 acres surrounding nearby Glen Lake and forested land comprising the camping area that is Half Moon State Park. Several hiking trails, including one to Half Moon, provide great hiking and wildlife-viewing opportunities. Boating, fishing and swimming are popular in Lake Bomoseen and nearby Glen Lake.

Bomoseen State Park pavilion
The picnic pavilion is available to rent

The campground contains 55 tent/RV sites and 10 lean-tos. Some sites are wooded and some are grassy and open, while others are located along the lakeshore. There are restrooms with flush toilets, hot and cold running water and coin-operated hot showers. There is also an RV sanitary station located at the park.

The park has a beach for swimming and a picnic area. A snack bar concession stand and boat rentals (canoe, kayak, row, and pedal) are available at the beach. Several hiking trails, including one to Half Moon Pond State Park, provide great hiking opportunities. There is fishing in Lake Bomoseen, as well as in nearby Glen Lake.

The park also has a picnic pavilion that is available to rent. This open pavilion seats up to 100 people and has electricity, grills and picnic tables. The pavilion is universally accessible. Restrooms are nearby.

Learn more about picnic pavilions

Park Interpreter

Bomoseen State Park employee Keely Flynn leads Gillian Pieper of Hinesburg, VT along the Slate History trail. The 3/4 mile trail leads explorers through the remains of the West Castleton Railroad and Slate Company. (Photo by Karen Pike)
Bomoseen State Park employee Keely Flynn leads Gillian Pieper of Hinesburg, VT along the Slate History trail. The 3/4 mile trail leads explorers through the remains of the West Castleton Railroad and Slate Company.

This park has a park interpreter offering fun, hands-on activities. Interpreters are park staff solely dedicated to helping you learn more about the natural and cultural history of the park. Some popular activities include night hikes, nature crafts and games, campfire programs and amphibian explorations.

Check out the of current events to see some of the programs planned during your visit.

State Park Passes

Upcoming Events

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