Why you should visit Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

Picture the most idyllic Vermont farm photo, and it’s probably located in the state’s Northeast Kingdom, said Loralee Tester, director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.

The Northeast Kingdom (NEK) is a region in northeastern Vermont bordering northern New Hampshire and Canada. It is comprised of the state’s three most rural counties — Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans.

Vermont’s former Gov. George Aiken coined the name in 1949 due to its “pastoral setting and natural beauty,” according to the state’s tourism office, which noted that the region has 71,315 acres of public state forest land and parks, 35,575 acres of public lakes and ponds, and 3,840 miles of public rivers and streams.

“I describe it as the soul of Vermont,” said Tester, a native of the area. “It’s the rolling hills, the beautiful farms, the sheep, the cows, and the pasture. It’s lovely. The pace is different, the interactions you have are different.”

The region is an “overlooked” part of Vermont perfect for a late summer trip, according to The New York Times, and Tester agreed.

The Northeast Kingdom website breaks the region into three areas: The Eastern Trek, Farm & Field, and Mountain & Lake Getaway. Ahead, Tester recommends the best things to do in each area.

The Eastern Trek

The eastern side of the Northeast Kingdom includes St. Johnsbury, Lyndon, Burke, and Island Pond and is the most urban part of the region, said Tester.

Travelers can explore the bustling historic downtown St. Johnsbury, full of restaurants, shops, the 1871 St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, and the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, the state’s only public planetarium. And there are plenty of nature-inspired activities as well. New England’s longest rail trail, the 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, connects 18 towns from St. Johnsbury to Swanton.

For a place to stay, Tester recommended Cherry House Bed & Breakfast in St. Johnsbury, an intimate Victorian Colonial Revival home that’s a short walk from downtown.

Catamount Arts, which has been serving the community for 50 years, presents live music at Dog Mountain. Dog Mountain is a mountaintop dog-friendly art park set on 150 acres, complete with a dog chapel, and “the views up there are spectacular,” Tester said.

“You have this fantastic music, this really interesting charming place, in the middle of nowhere,” said Tester. “It’s it’s own thing. It’s not trying to be anything else than what it is. That’s almost the epitome of the Northeast Kingdom.”

For more outdoor adventures, Burke Mountain is “a biker’s dream,” with plenty of downhill biking trails, Tester said.

“As you go north of Burke, it becomes very very rural,” she said. “But there are some really delightful spots as well like in Brighton and all the way up to Canaan.”

Brighton is known for Island Pond, a popular destination for outdoor recreation. The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is great for hiking, kayaking, bird watching, and fishing, she said.

The Kingdom Trails, in the towns of Burke, Kirby, Lyndon, and East Haven, is a more than 100 mile network of scenic non-motorized multi-use trails. For trailside lodging, it doesn’t get much better than The Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville, Tester said.

“It’s charming and it’s connected to the outdoors,” Tester said.

Farm & Field

The towns of Craftsbury, Hardwick, Greensboro, and Glover are included in this area of the Northeast Kingdom and are known for their agricultural activities.

Hardwick has become a foodie town, said Tester, as evidenced by a book written about Hardwick called “The town that food saved,” which details the growth of food-based businesses in the area. The Hardwick Farmers Market, featuring local growers, food trucks, artists, vendors, and live music, is open on Fridays between May and October.

“There’s a phenomenal coffee shop called Front Seat Coffee, she said. “I love meeting people in Hardwick there because it just makes you feel warm all the way through.”

Craftsbury has beautiful lakes, Tester said, and visitors can stay in lakeside cabins at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. The center is best known for its winter cross country ski trails, Tester said, and during the summer, cyclists, runners, and scullers are welcome.

“It’s very rural, it’s really beautiful,” she said.

Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury, a certified, organic four-season vegetable farm, is worth stopping at, she said. The farmstand offers up to 100 varieties of organic vegetables and is stocked daily from June to October. Visitors also find local pastured meats, local cheeses, and other products.

Tester called Greensboro “a beautiful historic town.”

Caspian Lake is known for its crystal-clear water, she said. Travelers should check out the cheese at Jasper Hill Farm, Tester said, and the beer at Hill Farmstead Brewery, which has been called “one of the world’s best.”

Glover is a small artist community where visitors can catch a show at the Bread & Puppet Theatre and explore the quirky Museum of Everyday Life. The town of Westmore is home to the beautiful Lake Willoughby, Vermont’s deepest lake.

“It’s my favorite place in the world,” Tester said about the lake.

Mountain & Lake Getaway

The northernmost part of the Northeast Kingdom includes destinations such as Newport, Jay, and Lake Memphremagog.

Newport, located a few miles from the Quebec, Canada border, is billed as “Vermont’s lakefront downtown.” Visitors can enjoy shopping and dining and hop on boat tours.

Lake Memphremagog in Newport is the only lake in New England that is shared with Canada. Travelers can stay at Prouty Beach Campground there, a 36-acre park with 75 campsites and spectacular views of the lake.

“It’s a beautiful lake. There’s more bike paths that go by the lake. It’s lovely. It’s just really pretty,” Tester said.

Jay is home to Jay Peak, a four-season resort known for its downhill skiing in the winter (Ski magazine named it among the best ski resorts in the U.S.) and its year-round indoor water park, Jay Peak Pump House (named among the best water parks in the U.S. by Tripadvisor users).

While in Jay, it’s worth wandering around the Jay Country Store, Tester said, calling it “a fun, interesting place.”

For a place to stay and a great meal, check out The Derby Line Village Inn near the Canadian border in the town of Derby, Tester said.

“It’s an Austrian restaurant, which you’d never expect, but it’s excellent,” she said.

The entire Northeast Kingdom has so much to offer, Tester said.

“It’s like a picture book in some places,” she said. “It’s a place to really put your worries away.”

Kristi Palma

Culture writer

 

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.