My annual tent camping and hiking trip took me to Branbury State Park in Vermont. Branbury offers lean-tos, tent and RV camping and boasts a natural sandy beach on the beautiful Lake Dunmore.  Lake Dunmore has a surface are of almost 1000 acres spanning three miles long and a mile wide. It is a popular destination in the area for all kinds of water activities from boating, jet skis, or just relaxing on the shoreline soaking in the sun. Branbury State Park taking up almost 70 acres incorporates park of the lake with canoe and kayak rentals as well as a snack bar located next to the playground.

I set up camp at the Birch Lean-to quickly on Sunday and then headed a half hour north to visit family for a few hours and “borrow” some firewood from my uncle’s house nearby before heading back and taking a walk around camp before relaxing by the fire.

On Monday, I woke up early and headed out for some hiking. There are a few trails that started right near my campsite, but on the advice of a park employee, I went about a quarter of a mile down the road to the Silver Lake trailhead, where I found the Falls of Lana and Silver Lake.  From the parking area, the trail is pretty much an access road leading to the falls and eventually Silver Lake.

I downloaded the My Tracks app to record my hike using my phone’s GPS and at the end of the day, I  spent just over 4.5 hours on the trails covering about 6.5 miles. I hiked around Silver Lake and explored the Falls of Lana as well as a side trip to Lenny’s Lookout, which offered great views of Lake Dunmore from above. Check out a map of my hike here.

Since I have gone to the Green Mountains the last couple years for my tent camping, I think next year I may have to go to the White Mountains! Have a look below for some photos.