Lake Champlain of Vermont and New York

Lake Champlain is a large lake formed during the Ice Age, much the same way the Great Lakes were. It is 110 miles long and 12 miles wide. Many people think it drains south into the Hudson River, since the Hudson headwaters come very close to its southern shores. But, in fact it drains north into the Saint Lawrence River.

Tucked into the Champlain Valley between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondacks of New York, it is a beautiful freshwater lake reminiscent of the Puget Sound. On a cloudy day, you can hardly tell the difference as evidenced above.

In October 2008, we took the ferry from Burlington, VT to Port Kent, NY.

Burlington, VT is a nice little city, with a great shopping district. It contains this nice pedestrial area full of coffee shops, restaurants, street vendors, and boutiques.

At the Burlington harbor

Taking the ferry out from Burlington, you head along rocky headlands sticking out into the lake

A loon on the lake

Here are the shores of New York as we approach the other harbor at Port Kent

After our visit to the Adirondacks, we drove along the western shores of the lake to Montreal. Just north of the city of Plattsburg, we stopped by Point Au Roche State Park for a little hike. It was a beautiful section of lakeshore covered in flat sedimentary shale stones.

Linda and Hilina at Point Au Roche State Park

Linda and Hilina watching geese take off

Birds offshore

Beautiful autumn cottonwoods