62 votes

Emerald Lake State Park Campground

65 Emerald Lake Ln., Dorset, Vermont 05253 USA

Independent
Credit Cards
Accepted
Wheelchair
Accessible
Public
Restrooms

“plenty of hiking and fishing opportunities”

Located conveniently between Manchester and Rutland, the park is popular for its wooded hillside campground, beach and swimming area, and nearby attractions and tourist destinations. The park surrounds 20-acre Emerald Lake, named for the emerald green color of its waters when viewed from above. Restricted to non-motorized watercraft, the lake is ideal for swimming and paddling. The lake also offers anglers an opportunity to catch yellow perch, small mouth bass, northern pike and other warm-water species. The park is a favorite destination of hikers, with the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail nearby, and trails on Dorset Mountain. The Dorset area became well known for its marble quarries by the early 19th century. The first commercial marble quarry to open in the region, and likely the country, was opened in 1785 by Isaac Underhill on Mt Aeolus. The quarry age of Dorset spanned some 130 years. In the early years, marble was cut for uses like headstones and hearthstones. The Feedley and Sons Quarry, on the southern end of what is now the state park, opened in 1804. Huge blocks of stone were cut from the mountainsides at the Feedley quarry where they were placed on an inclined rail system and sent a mile down the mountain to a finishing mill. Finished stone was sent out on rail cars. During the quarry age peak, as many as 30 quarries harvested stone for many uses, including projects like the New York City library and many bank and public buildings across the country. Many local buildings and sidewalks are made from the local stone. By the beginning of the 20th century, however, quarrying marble in Dorset began to draw to a close. Quarries further north in West Rutland and Proctor proved to yield higher quality stone much easier than the rugged mountain quarries in Dorset.

Reviews of Emerald Lake State Park Campground

4 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

3.5 Access

4.3 Location

4.3 Cleanliness

3.8 Site Quality

3.8 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on June 09, 2023

AT&T 5G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on October 02, 2021

T-Mobile 5G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on October 02, 2021

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Reviewed by
Campendium

June 04, 2018

Great sized spots, clean facilities, and not far from Manchester for local amenities. Great spot that allows dogs too. Unfortunately, they aren’t allowed down at the lake. Highly recommend!

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 12

4 Access

5 Location

5 Cleanliness

5 Site Quality

5 Noise

Reviewed by
Campendium

October 08, 2020

60+ campsites and lean-to’s. Several sites level and spacious enough for our 34 ft class A towing a Jeep. Paved roads and dirt sites. No hook-ups, fresh water and Dumpstation on the way in and water spigots around the camping area. All sites shaded by trees. Bathrooms and coin showers available. Campground is up a ridge from the lake and minimal to no view of lake from campsites due to trees. Trails down to the lake or drive car to parking area. Only 5-6 sites taken during the week in October. Route 7 and rail road nearby, but quiet at night. Campground closes on Columbus Day. Appalachian trail/Vermont Long trail access is a short drive away. Excellent Verizon cell service.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 21

5 Access

5 Location

4 Cleanliness

4 Site Quality

4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
roadtripper865452

67 Reviews
0 Helpful

October 02, 2021

The park itself and the surroundings are beautiful, with a few hiking trails to take advantage of. Only about 20 minutes to Manchester, which is a super cute town that has everything you may need. Lots to do in the area.
- WARNING: There is a drinking water hose right next to the dump station and we saw someone using the drinking water hookup to rinse their black tank...not such a great idea to have those so close to each other. I would NOT fill my water there.
- All sites are shaded, so we couldn't use solar
- Appreciated compost and recycling availability
- Cell signal was minimal
- No hookups
- Coin operated showers
- The road in was somewhat steep and in poor condition.
- You can hear a bit of road noise from HWY 7 nearby.

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roadtripper865452 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $21.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: 61

3 Access

5 Location

5 Cleanliness

4 Site Quality

4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T

T-Mobile

Reviewed by
Campendium

June 09, 2023

Road is in poor condition (come on state of Vermont) Bathrooms and showers are very dated (come on state of Vermont) Paid for a lean-to and a so called premium spot, with absolutely no privacy at all at an out of state rate of $42.00 a night. Again come on state of Vermont!
Loop B had no hot water
Nothing was level
Hwy 7 and train tracks didn’t quiet down until later in the evening.

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Nightly Rate: $4,200.00

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: -

2 Access

2 Location

3 Cleanliness

2 Site Quality

2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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