Camping
Day use
THINGS TO DO
Camping
Hiking
Swimming
Boating
Fishing
Biking
Park Events & Programs
Venture Vermont
Winter Activities
Other Activities
Family Fun
Enjoying Nature
Springfield, VT 05156
Pets are welcome at the park. Please clean up after your pets.
Park Updates & Alerts
- There is a small parking area inside the park entrance at 26 Muckross Rd. with space for 6 vehicles. When that is full, visitors must park at the Toonerville Trail trailhead or at the Exit 7 Park & Ride.
Take Route 11 West for 0.1 miles. Turn left onto US Route 5 South and immediately turn right into the park and ride. Travel by foot along the Toonerville Trail to 26 Muckross Road (on the right at the end of the Paddock Road section of the trail just before the black bridge).
Park at the Toonerville Trail trailhead parking adjacent to the Robert S. Jones Industrial Center at 290 Clinton Street. Proceed on foot 0.8 mile via the Toonerville Trail to the park entrance at 26 Muckross Road.
Hiking: Visitors may explore on foot a small network of roads and foot trails.
Picnicking: There are good spots for picnics in the park.
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
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.