Lake Champlain

The lake runs about a hundred and seventy kilometres between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks and drains north into the Richelieu and the St Lawrence, not south. In March 1998 a Senate provision quietly designated it a Great Lake, making Vermont eligible for certain research funding; the resulting derision led to the designation being reversed within weeks, though the research eligibility was retained. Its strategic position made it a corridor for four wars - Fort Ticonderoga on the New York shore covers that. Ferries cross at several points. Blue-green algae blooms close beaches in some summers, and the lake has a persistent local monster legend called Champ.

Background

Lake Champlain is 172 kilometres long and up to 23 kilometres wide, and it covers about 1331 square kilometres, the thirteenth-largest lake by area in the United States. Most of it lies between New York and Vermont, but its northern end reaches into Quebec. Burlington and Plattsburgh are the largest towns on its shores, and its biggest islands, Grand Isle, Isle La Motte and North Hero, all belong to Grand Isle County in Vermont. The lake is 400 feet deep at its deepest, its shoreline runs for 945 kilometres, and local lore places a monster called Champ in its waters.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Champlain"

Highlights

• A lake 172 kilometres long - draining north, not south.
• Fort Ticonderoga - on the New York shore, covering four wars.
• Cross-lake ferries - at several points between the states.
• A brief Great Lake designation - granted and withdrawn in 1998.

When to go

June to September. A full day.

Practical notes

Algae blooms close beaches in some summers - check advisories. The lake freezes and ferries reduce in winter. Public shoreline access is patchy. Weather can turn the water rough quickly.

Nearby

Burlington is on the eastern shore; the Adirondacks rise west.

Key facts