Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a 740-paddling route from New ...



Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s

Vermont Lake District Paddling & Fishing Itinerary:

Island Pond & the Clyde River

(Two Days & Two Nights)

In the remote northeast corner of Vermont’s sparsely-populated Northeast Kingdom lies the village, and the lake, of Island Pond, the heart of Vermont’s Lake District, known for some of the most beautiful lakes in all of New England. Head watered in Island Pond is the Clyde River, flowing 40 miles to Lake Memphremagog on the border with Québec. The area is rich in wildlife – moose, black bear, beaver – and known for its abundant and diverse fisheries hosting trout, salmon, bass, and many other species. The waterways vary from rocky headwater streams to deep coldwater lakes, providing novice and experienced paddlers alike with conditions ranging from calm, flat water floats to meandering river courses with occasional, easily-portaged rapids. Quite simply, Island Pond and environs is paradise for fisherman and paddlers in search of a mosaic of off-the-beaten-path reflective lakes and running streams.

While water and wildlife are most certainly the themes of Island Pond, the human history of this lonely and little trafficked landscape should not be overlooked. In the late 19th and into the 20th century, passenger trains and freight trains carrying logs and wood pulp hummed through the village. Called The Grand Trunk Railway, the line served as an international route connecting Montreal, Canada and Portland, Maine, with its half-way point in Island Pond. Trains run no longer, but the landmark’s imprint on the community lives on. The town’s huge railroad depot is impossible to miss.

The following two day and two night itinerary captures Island Pond’s mystique. To adapt the itinerary or create a custom trip, simply visit the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s online Trip Planner.

Before You Go:

✓ Purchase online the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s Section 6 Map: Lake Memphremagog to Connecticut River, which provides a visual guide for your paddling experience, as well as great background information on the area’s human and natural history. You’ll also discover key paddling and fishing information by purchasing online the Clyde River Paddling and Fishing Guide by Luke O’Brien of the NorthWoods Stewardship Center.

✓ Make lodging reservations for either The Lakefront Inn and Motel or Clyde River Hotel; or camping reservations at Lakeside Camping.

✓ Make reservations for your paddling tour, rental, or shuttle needs with either Clyde River Recreation, NorthWoods Stewardship Center or Siskin Ecological Adventures. (Read on for information about their services.)

✓ If you’re fishing, make arrangements to obtain your required Vermont Fishing License, and familiarize yourself with current rules and regulations.

✓ Make necessary gear and safety arrangements in conjunction with your paddling itinerary.

Afternoon Arrival

Arrive in Island Pond in the afternoon. Begin by strolling Cross Street with its collection of shops and views of Island Pond. If you need to purchase fishing, paddling, or camping gear for your activities, consider shopping at Clyde River Outfitters.

Have dinner at Pickles Pub (inside the Clyde River Hotel), featuring steaks, seafood, and burgers, or at Friendly’s Pizza, serving pizza, steaks, pasta, grinders, and salads. Both are on Cross Street.

You have two lodging options in the town of Island Pond. The Clyde River Hotel, on Cross Street, literally straddles the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, as it is built over the Clyde River, which flows out of Island Pond. The Clyde River Hotel, formerly known as the "Essex Hotel", was built in 1866 and purportedly looks much the same as it did back then. Amenities such as high speed wireless internet are available.

Your second lodging option in Island Pond is the family-oriented Lakefront Inn and Motel which offers an array of accommodations including standard rooms, efficiencies, and luxury suites with fireplaces. Storage of large recreational items such as bicycles is available, as is boat parking on their floating dock.

If camping is more conducive to your taste or your budget, stay at Lakeside Camping on the eastern shore of Island Pond. There you’ll find wireless internet, playgrounds, fireplaces, picnic tables, a game room, a convenience store, hot showers, and laundry facilities.

Day One: Paddling & Fishing the Clyde

For breakfast, head to The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery where you can start your day with a freshly brewed cup of gourmet coffee and breakfast sandwiches, bagels, muffins or pastries.

Next you’ll head out for a day (about 8 hours) of paddling the Clyde River. With the exception of one short portage early in the paddle, you will enjoy a relatively calm, lazy float down this pastoral river. If you need to rent boat; or if you have your own boat and need a shuttle, consider hiring Clyde River Recreation. If you prefer paddling and/or fishing with a guide who can explain the natural history of the River, make arrangements with Siskin Ecological Adventures or NorthWoods Stewardship Center.

Before leaving town, make sure to take a moment to grab picnic food from either The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery or Ted’s Market & Deli, both offering premium deli sandwiches prepared on freshly baked sub rolls and breads.

On the Clyde River

You’ll begin your paddle on the Clyde River, where it exits Island Pond, and just behind the Clyde River Hotel. Do not attempt to paddle under the Hotel as high water and unforeseen obstacles may create hazards.

Just after leaving the town of Island Pond, the Clyde River meets the Pherrins River, managed as a native brook trout fishery. If you’re fishing, you may want to fish the Pherrins before it joins the Clyde. (To put on the Pherrins, navigable with Class II rapids for approximately two miles before meeting the Clyde, put in on the north end of Island Pond near the iron railroad bridge where it crosses under Route 114. Be prepared to carefully scout two additional low-clearance crossings under Route 14 before leaving town. Consult the Clyde River Paddling and Fishing Guide for a map and more detailed information.)

About a mile after exiting Island Pond on the Clyde River, you’ll encounter a short section of Class I-II rapids. Remains of a logging-era dam create a standing wave at the end of these rapids. The following pool’s outlet is choked by debris; use the channel on the right. Where the river bumps into a wall of downed trees, portage right (150 feet).

At about 3.5 miles from Island Pond, the river widens to the “tubes” under the Five Mile Square Road. Follow the narrow right channel through this black ash flood plain forest, negotiating occasional beaver dams and blow downs to Buck’s Flat. This wide wetland, dominated by bog sedge, is an intermediate fen, which is a rare natural community in Vermont, and uncommon worldwide. A diversity of plants can be viewed here: black ash, red and silver maple, white cedar, highbush-cranberry, speckled alder, and nannyberry, as well as sweetgale, water lily, water pipes, and avens. Animals are no less interesting: red-winged blackbirds, great blue herons, bald eagles, osprey, mink, beaver, river otter, and muskrat. Stay in the main channel of the river to avoid disturbing wildlife. If you’re fishing, you’ll enjoy encounters with perch, pickerel, and bass.

At 9 miles from Island Pond, you’ll encounter the Route 105 Bridge and boat access at Ten Mile Square Road. The river narrows again and passes through riverine forests dominated by silver maple.

Next you’ll drift past the 1,380 foot-tall Deer Hill and then reach grazed pastures near Twin Bridges Road and the village of East Charleston, about 11 river miles from Island Pond. For a break, take out here and buy snacks at the historic Charleston General Store. Back on the River, water originating from Echo and Seymour Lakes enters the Clyde through a backwater on the right, providing a good location for brown and brook trout fishing.

As you continue, you’ll note a landscape of mainly forest to the north and farmland to the south. A little farther downstream, Center School Road crosses overhead. Next you enjoy a particularly remote and sinuous section of the Clyde, featuring deep floodplain forests and backwater pools and channels, including Toad Pond, all rich with wildlife. Drift quietly and you will be rewarded. It is in this section where the debated Lake Clyde purportedly existed. See the Clyde River Paddling and Fishing Guide for more information on this geologic mystery.

You’ll complete your paddle on Pensioner Pond, eighteen miles and a day’s paddle from Island Pond. At 170 acres, this pond is a great spot for yellow perch, pickerel, bass, and trout fishing. If you’re being shuttled by or returning boats to Clyde River Recreation, they will have provided instructions for how to find their base along the waterway. Do not attempt to run the Great Falls Dam at the outlet of Pensioner Pond!

Day One Evening

For the evening, return to Island Pond for a second night at The Lakefront Inn and Motel, the Clyde River Hotel, or Lakeside Camping. Have dinner at Pickles Pub or Friendly’s Pizza.

Day Two: Paddling & Fishing Island Pond

For breakfast, head to The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery again. Before leaving town, make sure to take a moment to grab picnic food from either The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery or Ted’s Market & Deli.

For your second day of paddling, you’ll spend a half to full day (4-8 hours) exploring Island Pond and the connected Spectacle Pond. You’ll once again want to select the boat rental or guiding service that meets your needs. See paddling service options listed under Day One; or consider the convenience of renting directly from Brighton State Park on the southern shore of Island Pond.

On Island Pond

Two public boat launches are available on Island Pond: the municipal waterfront park at the north end, in town; or at the state-owned fish and wildlife access located at the south end. If you are camping at Lakeside Camping, you can launch from the premises. The waterfront park put-in boasts fine views of the steep-sided Bluff Mountain.

At 600-acres in size and approximately two miles from north to south, Island Pond provides an enjoyable calm-water paddle. The lake gets its name from the 20-acre privately-owned island in its center, which is home to a rare native red pine forest. Please respect no trespassing signs. Anglers on Island Pond will discover brown and brook trout, walleye, small and largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rockbass, perch, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, rainbow smelt, burbot, and fallfish.

Brighton State Park lies along the southeastern side of Island Pond, as well as the southern half of Spectacle Pond. Plan to picnic at the sandy day use beach and bathhouse located on the southern shore. To explore the quiet backwaters of Spectacle Pond, enter it’s inlet along the eastern shore of Island Pond. Several of the fish species found in Island Pond also thrive in Spectacle Pond.

Completing Your Getaway

Before you leave Island Pond, make a last stop at The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery or Ted’s Market & Deli to pick up snacks for your drive.

Last but not least, a visit to Island Pond wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the railroad depot at the junction between routes 105 and 111. There you’ll find a plague highlighting the Grand Trunk International Railroad (referenced in this itinerary’s introduction).

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Driving Times to Island Pond, Vermont from Major Cities

Boston 3.5 hours

Burlington, Vermont 2 hours

Montréal, Quebec 2.5 hours

Manchester, New Hampshire 3 hours

New York City 6 hours

Portland, Maine 3.5 hours

RECOMMENDED READING

Maps and Guides:

➢ AMC River Guide: New Hampshire/Vermont, Appalachian Mt. Club, 2002.

➢ Island Pond Regional Recreation Map, Brighton Community Forum Recreation Committee, 2002.

➢ Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer, DeLorme, 2003.

➢ USGS Topographical Maps: Mount Mansfield (VT), Groveton (NH-VT-ME),

➢ Canadian National Topographic System Map: Lac Memphremagog,

Fact and Fiction:

➢ The Original Vermonters: Native Inhabitants, Past and Present, William A. Haviland and Marjory

W. Power, University Press of New England, 1994.

➢ Around Lake Memphremagog, Bea Aldrich Nelsonand Barbara Kaiser Malloy, Arcadia Publishing, 2003.

➢ Holy Old Mackinaw, Stuart Holbrook, Comstock Editions, Inc., 1987.

➢ North Woods: An Inside Look at the Nature of Forests in the Northeast, Peter J. Marchand, Appalachian

Mountain Club Books, 1994.

➢ South of the Northeast Kingdom, David Mamet, National Geographic Society, 2002.

➢ Disappearances, Howard Frank Mosher, David R. Godine Publisher, 1984.

About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail links the watersheds of northern New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire and Maine, and is a unique thread tying together the Northern Forest Region. The 740-mile water trail traces historic Native American travel routes through the rivers of this region, and is a living reminder our history, where rivers are both highways and routes of communication. Flowing with the stories of Native Americans, European settlers, and the development of mill towns and the timber industry, the Trail's rich heritage serves as a basis for widely accessible, environmentally friendly tourism in many of the small communities along the route.

If you enjoyed this adventure, consider exploring other portions of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

Map 1 – Fulton Chain of Lakes to Long Lake

Map 2 – Long Lake to Saranac River

Map 3 – Saranac River to Lake Champlain

Map 4 – Lake Champlain to Missisquoi River

Map 5- Missisquoi River to Lake Memphremagog

Map 6 – Lake Memphremagog to Connecticut River

Map 7 – Connecticut River to Umbagog Lake

Map 8 – Umbagog Lake to Rangeley Lake

Map 9 – Rangeley Lake to Spencer Stream

Map 10 – Spencer Stream to Moosehead Lake

Map 11 – Moosehead Lake to Umbazooksus Stream

Map 12 – Umbazooksus Stream to Umsaskis Lake

Map 13 – Umsaskis Lake to St. John River

This publication is the result of tax-supported funding from USDA, Rural Development, and as such is not copyrightable. It may be reprinted with the customary crediting of the source.

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Credit: Lisa Dyslin

Summary of Services & Activities

Restaurants:

➢ Pickles Pub (inside the Clyde River Hotel)– steaks, seafood, pasta, burgers, salads (dinner)

➢ Friendly’s Pizza– pizza, grinders, steaks, pasta, salads (dinner)

Markets/Delis:

➢ The Lakefront Express Mart-Deli/Bakery – coffee, breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, deli sandwiches (breakfast & picnic food)

➢ Ted’s Market & Deli– coffee, deli sandwiches (breakfast & picnic food)

Lodging/Camping:

➢ The The Lakefront Inn and Motel– offering a range of moderate to luxury accommodations

➢ The Clyde River Hotel– a historic hotel that straddles the Clyde River!

➢ Lakeside Camping– campground offering amenities on the shores of Island Pond

Shopping:

➢ Clyde River Outfitters – paddling, fishing, and camping gear

Activities:

➢ Paddle the Clyde River on your own, or using the services of either Clyde River Recreation, Siskin Ecological Adventures, or Northwoods Stewardship Center (full day)

➢ Paddle Island Pond and Spectacle Pond on your own, or using the services of either Clyde River Recreation, Siskin Ecological Adventures, or Northwoods Stewardship Center (half to full day)

➢ Optional: Fish while paddling, either on your own, or with guides from Siskin Ecological Adventures or Northwoods Stewardship Center.

Credit: Robert Riversong

Credit: Clyde Smith

Credit: Rob Center

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In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

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