Saturday, July 5, 2008

Visiting Lake Champlain

Few people are aware of the fact that Lake Champlain is the largest body of fresh water in US if we rule out the Great Lakes. It stands at a length of 120 miles with 12 miles across and an average depth of 400'. Although this is quite a huge lake, this aspect is not what makes it special. Its beautiful landscapes are what make Lake Champlain special. You should know that a lot of New England vacationers are starting to put this tourist location on their map and they always come back. Let us now think about some tourist attraction spots in the Lake Champlain region, places that we recommend you visit.

First on the list is the Northern half of Lake Champlain. It is filled with many islands, with the biggest ones being linked with each other and even the Vermont mainland thanks to Route 2 in the South and Route 78 in the North. You are thus quite close to some towns that are worth visiting like Grand Isle, Alburg, North Hero and South Hero. The entire area is a great destination for biking due to the rolling hills present and the view is breathtaking as you will see the Green Mountains in the East and the Adirondacks in the West.

Montpelier is the capital of Vermont but the largest city is not this one. Burlington has this title and it is perfectly located right on the shore of Lake Champlain, making it a perfect vacation spot. Once in the city you can go visit ECHO, the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory tour and the Ethan Allen Homestead and Museum. A lot of tourists will complete a tour of the city with a train ride through Champlain Valley thanks to the Green Mountain Railroad.

Since we are talking about such a huge lake, you can imagine that there are also cruises on Lake Champlain available for those wanting it. We thus have 2 cruise boats in the area during summer. "The Spirit of Ethan Allen III" can hold a cruise for 500 people and "Northern Lights" 150 people. The only possible "inconvenience" is that both start from the Burlington docks. Both of the cruises will have an impact on tourists due to the many breathtaking views it will take them through, quite a special experience.

Once in the Lake Champlain area you will need to visit the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum as well. You will find it near Vergennes. Add the Basin Harbor museum to the list and both will complete themselves with a historical trip back in time. After going back in time think about the fact that we can find 50 state parks in Vermont. 12 of them are in the Lake Champlain area. You can thus visit: Knight Point, Sandy Bar, Alburg Dunes, Knight Island, North Hero, Grand Isle and Woods Island among others. Once in these parks you cn go through many interesting activities like biking, camping, boating, hiking, fishing and swimming. Realxation is sure to be of the highest quality and you will simply love the area. For more information about the Lake Champlain area visit the official web site: lakechamplainregion.com