Emerald Lake

sean lemkey

Overall great campground: Clean facilities, great location and beautiful scenery, but lots of ambient noise and sites don’t have a lot of privacy. We camped here during the early foliage peak and it was gorgeous! Our site (Sumac) had a lean to and was rated a “prime site.” It did have a fantastic view, but ended up being quite noisy as the road (route 7) is only about 100 yards away through the trees and down the hill. There’s also a train track, which we were reminded of at least twice during the weekend. My other complaint is that the sites really aren’t very private - you can see directly into your neighbors’ sites at almost all of the sites I walked by (including ours). Otherwise, the campground is very clean and well managed. There’s life and firewood available for purchase and very nice / eco friendly trash facilities. Nearby there’s great access to hiking, orchards and restaurants/ diners, and the lake is also very pretty and made for a nice place to cool off after our hike! Overall would recommend, but do your research when picking a site.

Ben Reyes

Great Lake with clear waters and incredibly fast / great cell service from the beach / lake. Some campsites get spotty reception. So if you’re looking for a place to be in nature but also get a little bit of work done, this is one of the best locations to do this in! On Verizon speed test I was getting 915 down and 64 mbps up! T-Mobile also has equally good service.

Danielle

Absolutely stunning lake that I wish we had more time at. Stumbled upon Emerald Lake on our way back home to Rhode Island and we were disappointed we hadn't found it earlier during our weekend getaway. It's $5/person (adult) for entry, and no dogs allowed (in the "day use" areas, which includes the beach.) Decent amount of parking for beach area with a short, pretty walk. Several walking trails, which we didn't have time to check out but no doubt they were enjoyable. Amenities include paddle boat & kayak rental, several picnic tables, and a sparkling clean restroom. The lake itself is fairly shallow, with beautifully clean, warm water and no typical lake "ickies" at the bottom. The Green Mountains serve as a gorgeous backdrop to the sparkling water. Can't wait to go back and spend lots of time!

Shaun Epstein

We had an amazing visit. The views of the lake from the trail were absolutely stunning and made the hike so worth it. We took the Lake Trail starting from the parking lot, which was beautiful and peaceful. One word of caution: the trail shows as ending on the map, and it’s tempting to make a left turn to continue around the lake and follow the railroad tracks back. While you can walk along the tracks and eventually make it back, it is an active railroad and not really a safe or official route. We tried it and it was a bit scary at times. I’d strongly recommend turning back and returning the way you came rather than attempting to loop around. Overall, a gorgeous park and a wonderful spot to hike, just keep that trail ending in mind!

Kathryn Carter

Fantastic camping experience, extremely family friendly. Accessible sites, bathrooms, beach access, and saw all bodies of different abilities use the park! So many sweet dogs, not allowed on beach but other areas, and several hiking trails available. The best part is the clear, shallow water that makes you feel safe enough to walk out to the island. Perfect for paddle boarding and kayaking! Fishing was popular, snack bar takes Apple Pay, plenty of parking. Can’t recommend enough, we will be back for our third girls trip next year!🛶🌲🏕️🎣