Located in beautiful South Hero, VT, Round Pond Natural Area features easy, kid-friendly trails, a tranquil pond, and a shale beach on Lake Champlain that is perfect for skipping stones. Open to the public year-round for hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and bird-watching, this off-the-beaten-path Vermont hiking destination offers gently-sloping terrain, plentiful opportunities for viewing wildlife, and great views of the Green Mountains.
Directions
From the South: Take Exit 17 off of I-89 onto US Route 2 W toward the Islands for about 7 miles. Take the first left in South Hero onto Landon Road. After about 0.8 miles, take your first left onto East Shore Road, follow the road down a small hill and park in the roadside pull off area on your left near the orange gate.
From the North: Take US Route 2 E. In South Hero, take a right on South Street. Take your first left on Landon Road and then take your first right onto East Shore Road. Follow the road down a small hill and park in the roadside pull off area on your left near to the orange gate.
Guides
Download our printable guide to Round Pond Natural Area, including driving directions.
Note: When walking the main trail to the lakeshore, be sure to turn left at all trail junctions.
Nature Snapshots
Download a series of Nature Snapshots for the Round Pond landscape.
History
Completed in 2001, the Round Pond Conservation Project was a partnership effort of the Lake Champlain Land Trust, South Hero Land Trust, Vermont Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. The property contains 140 acres of active farmland, 130 acres of woodland, 25 acres of wetlands, and 1,075 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline. After the property was purchased by the partnership, the Lake Champlain Land Trust accepted a conservation agreement (also known as a conservation easement) along with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The lakeshore parcels were then donated to the State of Vermont.
Conservation agreements were also placed on the farmland, and the land was sold to a farming family. The South Hero Land Trust and Lake Champlain Land Trust later built a parking lot and public access trail that loops through the farm’s woodlot and sugarbush. The Landon Community Trail, which is an easy half-mile loop located just a quarter-mile north of the Round Pond trailhead, provides incredible views of the surrounding farmland, the forests of Round Pond State Park, Lake Champlain, and the Green Mountains.
Partners
Round Pond Natural Area was conserved in partnership with South Hero Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the Vermont Land Trust, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and the Lake Champlain Land Trust.
