Being a native Vermonter, it only seems right to investigate the village of Vermontville, located in Franklin County (in the Adirondack Park), New York (see image 1). Let’s plan a trip while we are at it! Starting with an idea of what to expect when we arrive in Vermontville, which is about two hours Northwest of Middlebury, there are approximately 934 Vermontvillers, inhabiting 148 square miles of land and 2.8 square miles of water area (Sperling, 2021). This hamlet of Franklin County, which was settled by Vermonters in the early 1800s has an elevation of approximately 1743 feet (Eshelman).
Image 1. See the map of Franklin County, NY. Vermontville is in the lower middle, along Route 3.
Vermontville has much to offer us tourists! If we venture over in the Summer, we can expect to find ample swimming, boating, rafting, and fishing in Lyon Brook or nearby Saranac Lake. You may catch me golfing at the Loon Lake Golf Course, where I will tee up after walking the one-mile-long Vermontville Recreation Walking Trail (Adirondack Trails, 2020). We might even partake in some mountain biking or hiking on Kate Mountain nearby. Kate Mountain, named after the Kate family who built a home on its eastern side in 1829, has an elevation of 2841 feet (Kate Mountain).
By this time, we will likely be pretty hungry, and will stop in at the Kate Mountain Farm to grab locally-raised pork sausage and vegetables (Caiazza, 2021). At the end of the day, we’ll head to our campsite at Buck Pond Campground, and fire up dinner. A campsite at Buck Pond is $25 per night, and provides access to not only Buck Pond, but Lake Kushaqua as well(NY DEC).
If we decide to visit Vermontville in the Winter months, we’ll surely stay busy. With some of the best snowmobiling in the East on the Franklin Snowmobiler’s trails, or cross country skiing wherever we can find snow. Those that downhill ski can find their sport at Mount Pisgah Ski Area in Saranac Lake, which runs 6 trails and night skiing! (Saranac Lake.Gov) Many people also ice fish on Loon Lake, catching Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, and Tiger Musky among others (Lake George.com).
Vermontville reminds me of my home in Fairfield, Vermont (see image 2). You may have noticed several of the activities shared above are stationed in nearby towns or cities, and not in Vermontville itself. The quaint village doesn’t have many of the large tourist attractions that usually pull visitors in, but they aren’t far off. Other than fields, mountain views, and small shops, Vermontville is pretty quiet. I think there is value to this, as recreation is something to be found in the land, not man made. For example, if I want to go on a ski, I will step into my backyard and trudge through the woods to make my own trail, instead of gliding on a groomer trail at a resort.
“Adirondack Trails.” Adirondack.net, 2021, https://www.adirondack.net/towns/lake-placid-region/vermontville/.
“Buck Pond Campground & Day Use Area.” Buck Pond Campground & Day Use Area – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24457.html.
Caiazza, Aaron. “Kate Mountain Farm.” Adirondack Harvest, 2021, https://adirondackharvest.com/user/katemountainfarm/.
Eshelman, Teresa R. “Town of Franklin History.” Town Of Franklin Resource Guide, https://townoffranklin.com/history.html.
“Mount Pisgah Recreation Center.” Village of Saranac Lake: Mount Pisgah Recreation Center Is Maintained by the Village as a Ski Slope, Lodge, Mountain Biking Trails, and Event Venue. This Year-Round Recreation, https://www.saranaclakeny.gov/index.php?section=playing-mt-pisgah.
Sperling, Bert. “Vermontville, NY.” Zip 12989 (Vermontville, NY) People, Aug. 2021, https://www.bestplaces.net/people/zip-code/new%20york/vermontville/12989.
“Visit Loon Lake NY for Fishing, Boating, Dining & More.” LakeGeorge.com, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.lakegeorge.com/things-to-do/loon-lake/#:~:text=Fish%20in%20Loon%20Lake%20and,or%20from%20the%20public%20beach.
“Kate Mountain.” LocalWiki, https://localwiki.org/hsl/Kate_Mountain.
It is so funny that there is a town in the Adirondacks called Vermontville! I was wondering about the part where you mentioned that Vermontville doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as some of the other towns in the ADK, but how that is a good thing considering the impacts of larger towns on the environment. I’m curious to see if other towns like Vermontville ever wanted to expand and whether it would be really necessary today? What is the likelihood of such towns expanding and should they?