Muckross

Muckross State Park is open for day visits. There is a small parking area (6 vehicles) just inside the park entrance at 26 Muckross Road, just off from Paddock Road in Springfield. The park is also accessible by foot or bike on the Toonerville Rail Trail which has parking areas in downtown Springfield, on Charlestown Road and at the Exit 7 Park and Ride. For more information, please contact Vermont State Parks' Springfield Regional Office at (802) 289-0603.

Welcome

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Muckross State Park was established in July, 2016 when the estate of the late State Senator Edgar May donated his former home property to the State of Vermont. The 204 acre property is part of a once-larger estate constructed by local industrialist W.D. Woolson in the early 20th century. At one time, the estate included nearly 1,000 acres of land, two trout ponds, an expansive compound of buildings including a main lodge and several cottages. It purportedly is named after Muckross House in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland.

Mr. May, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and local politician, made Muckross his home for over 50 years. It was his desire to see his home become a state park open to all for recreation and learning. In keeping with Mr. May’s wishes, planning is underway to incorporate nature education and dispersed recreation on the property. Since this is a new state park, there is not yet onsite parking or a formal trail system. Visitors may explore on foot a small network of roads and foot trails. A small pond is impounded by a concrete dam on a small tributary of the Black River. There is an impressive 80-foot waterfall downstream of the pond. There are several vistas of the Black and Connecticut Rivers from outcroppings though no trails lead to them. This is an undeveloped state park without amenities best explored on foot.