Green River Reservoir Paddle No. 1

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Hi Blog!

After yesterday's bike ride, we were looking for a different adventure. Our next door neighbors, Amy and Allen, clued us in on the Green River Reservoir State Park. The Green River Reservoir is one of the largest undeveloped water bodies in Vermont and the largest dedicated to boating with non-combustion motors. The scenic reservoir has long been a favorite destination for canoeists and campers seeking a remote experience. We decided it would be the perfect place to paddle.

Getting from our campground to Green River Reservoir State Park was easy. It was only a six mile drive. However, once we arrived, we found we had to complete with the greatest population of paddlers we've ever encountered, for space to launch our kayaks at the world's smallest boat ramp. Luckily, being a small Jeep, we managed to squeeze in the tiny launch area and unloaded the kayaks. Dave had to park the Jeep in an upper parking lot while Kathy guarded the kayaks. As we tried to get the kayaks down to the water, we had to ask someone to close their car doors so we could squeeze past. It was that small!

However, once we got on the water, we had the place to ourselves. With 19 miles of shoreline and numerous bays and islands, it was easy to leave the crowds behind.

We knew we couldn't paddle all 19 miles, so we just took our time and cruised along the shoreline. Every now and then we would find something interesting.

Sometime around 1940, the village of Morrisville Water and Light Department (MW&L) made a decision that would affect Vermonters for generations if not centuries to come. In an area northeast of the town near the Village of Garfield, the department determined to erect a dam on the Green River and create a reservoir for electricity generation and eventually water supply. To protect the reservoir, MW&L began acquiring parcels of land that would eventually total over 5,600 acres of forest, wetlands, streams and ponds, in the towns of Hyde Park and Eden. Construction of the dam was undertaken in 1945 and the flooding was begun. Management of the use of the reservoir has since been turned over to the Vermont State Park System.

The reservoir stretches almost four miles north, east and south from the dam. There are ten major and numerous smaller islands dotting the water. We paddled around a number of them. In the shallow areas, we picked blueberries and marveled at colorful lily pads floating just under the surface of the water. We were surprised to see a ghost eel slithering along the top of our photo -- actually a ripply reflection of Kathy's kayak.

Below, Kathy carefully circles this small island, ever on the lookout for the elusive blueberry bush.

With calm winds, it was easy to cross the open water.

With so many coves and bays, it was easy to get turn around as we paddled. Luckily for us, these campers left their laundry out to dry and it made the perfect landmark.

There are four nesting pairs of common loon that live in the park. One section of the park is closed from Spring to August 1st to protect the nesting area. We found all the closed signs piled up in an unused camp site.

Even though it is early August, we can see signs of fall.

Early on, people could paddle about and camp anywhere they wanted. Over the years, the park suffered from overuse and pollution. Today, there are 34 designated camp sites which must be reserved in advance. Each of these sites has a numbered post. We found it was easier to navigate around all the islands by noting each campground number and comparing to our map.

Certain sections of the park are designated for Day Use. We pulled into a little cove and had our picnic lunch on a giant boulder.

Canoe campers are as varied as RV campers. There are the minimalists, who bring only their backpack equipment. Then there are those who bring lawn chairs and beach umbrellas!

All morning, we heard the sounds of loons calling to each other. We weren't sure we would be able to spot any. They always seemed to be in another part of the lake. However, as we came around the Big Island to the main channel, we spotted this loon family. If you look to the left, you can see baby loon lying flat across the water. They flatten their profile while Mom and Dad fish to make themselves less visible to predators.

The beaver has made itself right at home along the shores of the Green River Reservoir. They have dammed a number of streams and built themselves prime shore properties. This palatial estate could house two beaver families.

The picture perfect campsite:

So many islands, so little time. After five miles of paddling, we barely covered a third of the reservoir. If we have time, we'll bring the kayaks back.  (If you look carefully, you'll see that there are two islands in the photo below, and Kathy is paddling between them.)

We leave you with one more photo of a lone loon:

After our paddle, we took our grandpuppies to the North Branch Cascades Trail, which is not far from our campground and our daughter's AirBNB. We would have included some photos of the waterfalls, but our hands were full of leashes and excited puppies. Maybe next time!