Molly Stark State Park
Molly Stark State Park is located at the very bottom of Vermont in the town of Wilmington. It is a great park set up primarily for camping but does have one hiking trail in the park. And for only having one trail- it’s a good one! We stopped here for the first night of our New England Road Trip and were not disappointed,
There are 24 primitive campsites (some of which do fit RVs) and 11 lean-to sites within the park. We stayed at site T12- which states it can fit a vehicle up to 20 feet. We had plenty of space for our teardrop camper and the awning room attached to it. Campsites are $22/night for Vermont residents and $40/night for non-residents. Lean-to sties are $30/night for Vermont residents and $49/night for non-residents. If you are bringing your pet, there is a $3 per pet per night fee added on to your stay. There was a very generous 2pm check-in time, with check out being 11a.m
There is one main bathhouse with mens/womens bathrooms and four private shower rooms. The showers are operated by tokens which you can buy at the Park Office for 0.50 each. One token will get you a five minute shower. I put in two tokens in and really took my time, but still did not used all of the time- the water got hot fast (I even had to turn it down a little- shocking) and the water pressure was great. 10/10 camp shower.
The only trail in the park is the 1.8 mile loop trail up to Mt Olga Fire Tower. It is a very steep trail up to Mt Ogla that sits at an elevation of 2418 feet. Once you get to the top of the trail you can walk up the fire tower to amazing 360 degreeviews of the surrounding mountains. This trail is dog friendly, but I definitely would not bring dogs up into the fire tower- the stairs are narrow and there isn’t much of a barrier near the foot area- I was definitely keeping two hands on the railings at all times going up and down. It’s a great trail and definitely worth it if you can take turns going up into the tower.
Even though this is a small park, we really enjoyed everything about it. The campsites had ample space (and plenty of space between campsites, where you had privacy and didn’t feel like you were on top of other campers). The bathroom and showers were clean and easy to use. The one trail was well marked and had great views at the top. Really no complaints!
Park Details:
ADDRESS: 705 VT-9 East, Wilmington, VT 05363
HOURS: 10am- Sunset
VISITOR CENTER: 10am - Sunset
ENTRANCE FEE: $5 per person entry fee, $2 per child (4-13 yrs), under 4 yrs free.
TRAILS: One trail- Mt Olga Trail up to the Mt Ogla Fire Tower
ACTIVITIES: Hiking and Camping
DOG RULES: Dogs are allowed on all trails and campsites. Dogs are not allowed in park buildings. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Please pick up after your pet and do not leave your pet unattended.
Check out our videos about this Park on instagram @axel.theadventurepup or TikTok @axeltheadventurepup
