Explore St. Albans: Visitors can roam by boat and bike
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Kayakers paddle around a breakwater at Burton Island State Park, a cozy getaway just one mile from the St. Albans Bay shoreline, seen in the background. Photo by Stefan Hard |
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By Stefan Hard
Staff Writer - Published: July 5, 2009
If you like to paddle or pedal, you're in luck when heading to the St. Albans area for a summer day trip.
Paddlers can explore the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area, the Missisquoi River or Lake Champlain from St. Albans Bay, Maquam Bay or Missisquoi Bay. Cyclists can ride a fairly flat rail trail to enjoy frequent views of the Missisquoi as the river winds through rolling farmland.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
The 6,729-acre refuge is where the Missisquoi River fans out to meet Lake Champlain in true river delta fashion. The refuge offers paddlers and wildlife watchers immense opportunities to enjoy a natural area unlike any other in Vermont, and I highly recommend experiencing the refuge if you are in the St. Albans area, even making it your prime destination and visiting St. Albans afterward.
Just northwest of Swanton, the refuge is split into north and south sections by Route 78, a state highway. Along this road on summer evenings, you often see anglers lighting fires or using lanterns along the waterways to attract bull pout (catfish), and on rainy nights you might inadvertently flatten untold numbers of migrating frogs.
The prime location to set out by canoe or kayak to explore the delta is a pull-off on the right side of Route 78 about three miles north of Swanton, just past the refuge headquarters. From here, you paddle due north along the main channel, past huge cottonwoods and poplar trees, some of which hang over the channels and even dip their branches in the water.
In springtime, the Missisquoi empties its cold water and all kinds of debris into the delta, so paddlers, beware. On a hot, humid summer day, paddling the delta feels like you've somehow been transported to the bayous of Louisiana.
The delta is home to the Shad Island great blue heron rookery, the largest colony in the state and one of the most impressive rookeries in the Northeast, with dozens of nests not being uncommon. The sight of these huge birds cruising up and down the delta's channels and the cacophony of heron cries coming from the rookery should not be missed. I've also seen bald eagles in the refuge, so keep your eyes peeled. Muskrats abound in and around the refuge's channels, as do beaver, river otter, minks, raccoons and deer.
A note of caution: If you make it to the mouth of the delta and decide to return on a different river channel, make sure you have a good map, plenty of daylight and the moon or sun to navigate by, because you can get lost in the many mini-bays and forking channels of the delta. Take it from me — been there, done that.
A less labyrinthine alternative in the refuge is the wetlands south of Route 78 formed by numerous creeks between the Missisquoi River and Maquam Bay. This area is known for its berry bogs, pinewood stands and upland areas of large, open fields and hardwood forests that harbor huge deer herds. My favorite time to paddle this area is in the fall, on a clear, sunny day, when the swamp maples begin to turn bright red.
The area can be accessed by canoe or kayak from a pullout just off Route 78 on Campbell Bay Road. Or, keep heading west on Route 78 almost into West Swanton, turn left onto Tabor Road, which has interpretive pull-offs, continue south, turn onto Champlain and put in at a boat access on the east flank of Hog Island Point. Maquam Bay can also be accessed closer to Swanton from the state boat access off Lake Road. From there, paddle west along the bay's shoreline and turn right into a wide creek announced by the abutments of an old railway bridge.
If you're not the paddling but rather the padding along type, you can hike a nature trail featuring plank walkways and bridges from the headquarters out into the wetlands and along slow-moving creeks. Bring binoculars; I've seen herons, turtles, muskrat, otters, owls and other wildlife just poking along this easy, meandering walkway that will return you to the headquarters in about an hour.
Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area
If the wildlife refuge feels too big to explore in the time you have, a more intimate alternative is Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area, about 2-1/2 miles east of St. Albans on Route 36 (just take Fairfield Street east out of the city).
Fairfield swamp isn't tiny, at nearly 1,400 acres, but it doesn't have the maze of water channels fanning out over a large area. At Fairfield Swamp, you can park and put in your canoe right off Route 36 and paddle through a variety of vegetation and wildlife habitats, and, armed with field guides or encyclopedic knowledge, possibly recognize several rare plant and bird species. The swamp is known for its deep bulrush marsh and black spruce-tamarack bog. Birders might be excited to know that both American and least bitterns, as well as common moorhens, are known to nest in the swamp.
Central Vermont/Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail
This rail trail starts with the nine-mile Central Vermont Rail Trial from St. Albans to Sheldon Junction and continues 17 more miles to Richford, where it can connect you with yet more cycling routes on the Canadian side of the border. It's easy pedaling on packed crushed stone, with frequent views of the Missisquoi River once you reach Sheldon, including two bridge crossings, and almost continuous views of lush, active farmland. There are several scenic places to stop, rest and snack or even dine along the way.
My favorite point to enter the rail trail is from a small parking area at the north end of St. Albans, next to the St. Albans Messenger office, where Route 105 splits off Route 7. Just three miles out of St. Albans, the trail leaves farm fields and briefly enters a dense forested wetlands area known as Sweet Hollow that offers shade on a hot day.
If you're not into the full 26-mile journey to Richford, bike the nine-mile stretch to Sheldon Junction and the first bridge, have lunch, and turn around.
Riding the roads
For those who prefer pavement under their tires, bicycling along the roads around St. Albans and Swanton is easy — no substantial hills! Two of my favorites for easy cruising are Georgia Shore Road, with a nice view of St. Albans Bay, and County Road, which follows the Missisquoi River south for a short way out of Swanton, then runs straight and flat for about five miles through cornfields. A good loop starts on County Road in Swanton and continues to Newton Road in St. Albans Town, which you can follow east right into the city of St. Albans, then loops back to Swanton on Route 7. This leads you past the drive-in theater and to Warner's Snack Bar, where you can reload carbs and calories.