Butternut Hill – Great Champlain Islands Hiking

Butternut Hill Natural Area is located in beautiful North Hero, VT. Only a 45-minute drive from downtown Burlington, this natural area offers visitors a great Vermont hiking experience in the scenic Lake Champlain Islands region. The one mile long kid-friendly trail begins at the Town of North Hero’s Camp Ingalls and winds through a unique floodplain forest, along an impressive cedar forest ridge, and down to the shores of Lake Champlain. When you visit, keep an eye out for the natural area’s namesake butternut trees (also known as white walnut).

Directions

From the South: Take I-89 N to exit 17 for US-2 toward US-7/Lake Champlain Islands/Milton. Keep right at the fork and merge onto US-2 W/Roosevelt Hwy. Continue to follow US-2 W 18.9 miles. Turn left onto South End Rd and follow for about 1.8 miles. Camp Ingalls (Butternut Hill Natural Area parking) will be on the left.

From northern New York: Take US-2 E 20.8 miles. Turn right onto South End Rd and follow for about 1.8 miles. Camp Ingalls (Butternut Hill Natural Area parking) will be on the left.

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Guides

Download a printable guide to Butternut Hill, including driving directions.

Nature Snapshots

Download a series of Nature Snapshots for the Butternut Hill landscape.

History

Butternut Hill Natural Area was conserved in 2012. Two North Hero, VT families, the Williams and the Keyes, worked alongside each other, the Lake Champlain Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy of Vermont to conserve wildlife habitat and lakeshore along Lake Champlain.

Butternut Hill Natural Area combines conserved land from the Williams family, the Keyes family, and the Town of North Hero, protecting a spectacular, old floodplain forest, while providing public access to the forest and the lake via the trails starting at the Town of North Hero’s former Camp Ingalls land.

Partners

Butternut Hill was conserved in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, the Town of North Hero, and the Lake Champlain Land Trust.