Bike the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail
The 26.3-mile Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail runs on a former railway bed from St. Albans east to Richford — a wide, flat, crushed-limestone corridor ideal for gravel and road bikes, running and winter cross-country skiing.
The stretch between Sheldon Junction and Enosburg Falls is the prettiest, paralleling the river rapids and crossing converted steel-truss bridges with Jay Peak rising ahead.
Hike the Long Trail
Along the county’s eastern edge, America’s oldest long-distance footpath climbs the northern Green Mountains.
Jay Peak summit — a strenuous 3.1-mile climb through spruce-fir to views deep into Quebec.
Belvidere Mountain — a moderate 5-mile climb to a historic 60-foot steel fire tower at 3,260 feet.
Haystack Mountain — a steady 1.7-mile trail from Hazen’s Notch through quiet hardwoods.
Paddle the delta & lakes
Franklin County is a paddler’s county. Launch onto the Black Creek Canoe Trail in the Missisquoi refuge to glide beneath silver maples past turtles, otters and kingfishers, or put in at Lake Carmi State Park — Vermont’s fourth-largest natural lake — to fish for pike and walleye in the quiet bays.
Island & lakeside parks
Franklin County’s Lake Champlain shore is dotted with low-key state parks.
Burton Island — a 253-acre car-free island reached by ferry from Kill Kare.
Kill Kare — stony beaches and the mainland ferry dock on Hathaway Point.
St. Albans Bay — a sandy swimming beach with Adirondack sunsets.
Lake Carmi — beaches and quiet camping on a big natural lake.
Good to know
What is the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail?+
A 26.3-mile multi-use path on an old railway bed from St. Albans to Richford — flat, scenic and open to bikes, walkers and winter skiers.
Which hikes reach the Long Trail?+
Jay Peak, Belvidere Mountain (with its fire tower) and Haystack Mountain from Hazen’s Notch all tie into the Long Trail along the county’s eastern mountains.
Where can I paddle?+
The Black Creek Canoe Trail in the Missisquoi refuge and the sheltered bays of Lake Carmi State Park are the standouts.