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
St. Albans, VT 05488
Fee Area: Day Use/Camping fees apply
Camping: 5 remote tent sites
Pets are welcome at the park. Please clean up after your pets.
Park Updates & Alerts
- 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.
Camping: There are 5 remote tent sites on the island.
Hiking: The Island Loop Trail is a 2 mile, easy loop around the island.
Swimming: There are no beaches, but there is still great swimming to be found in Lake Champlain.
Boating: There are no docks. Visitors must either beach their boat or anchor off.
Fishing: Lots of great fishing to be had in Lake Champlain.
Welcome
One of three neighboring island parks in Lake Champlain’s “inland sea” (along with Burton Island and Knight Island), Woods Island became Vermont's forty-fifth state park in 1985. Measuring one mile long and a quarter-mile wide, 125-acre Woods Island provides a unique habitat for a rich variety of plant life, including many species that are rare or threatened in Vermont. A portion of the island was once farmed; traces of drainage ditches remain today. Still visible also is the farm house foundation and weathered remains of old farm machinery. A later attempt by a private developer saw the beginnings of an airstrip constructed down the center of the island; the earth berms you climb over on the cross-island trail are the runway edges. The State of Vermont’s Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation seeks to preserve the primitive character of the island and asks your cooperation in observing its guidelines for island use.
There is no ferry service to the island and visitors must make their own arrangements. There are no docks; visitors must either beach their boat or anchor off. The beach tends to be fairly rocky, except for a point along the east shore, from which the walk to campsites is between one-quarter and three-quarters of a mile. There are two water taxi options, with USCG-licensed captains, operating from Grand Isle County. The state does not necessarily endorse nor recommend either, and rates vary by group size and pickup location. The water taxi services are:
- Capt. Mark Sperber, phone: 802-234-1397
- St. Albans Bay Marina, phone: 802-528-3111
Remote Camping
Woods Island is a “remote area” campground. Remote area campsites, while beautiful, are not for everybody. Sanitary facilities are minimal, and there is no potable water supply. Be prepared to carry in and carry out all items including trash. Each campsite has a fire ring and a nearby composting toilet. The island’s five campsites are situated around the two-mile shoreline, and are connected by a trail system. This gives you great privacy, but it also means you’re going to have to walk and carry your own gear from wherever you come ashore.
Camping is by reservation only on designated sites. Reservations (2-night minimum) can be made online or through the reservation call center (1-888-409-7579) up to 11 months in advance. Maximum eight (8) persons per site; fourteen (14) night maximum stay. Fires are permitted in designated fire rings only.
Parking: Kill Kare State Park is the best place to park and get directions for boating to Woods Island, Knight Island or Burton Island.