Greetings my fellow Leaf Peeps!
Let me start out by saying what this article is not. It is NOT a listing of ALL the ponds in Vermont, That would be hundreds of pages and incredibly tough to pull together. Instead, I’ll list some that I think are worth your time. This does not mean others in Vermont like Norton Pond or Island Pond are not worth your time (far from it), but these that I will list below have something that many others don’t… A View…

I’m sure you’ve seen a pond on the map that sounds interesting and it has terrain around it that looks like it would create a fantastic reflection, only to find as you drive around the pond (or lake) that it is houses side by side with lots of trees close together. In other words, unless you own a home there, you can’t get a clear view. So for each of these ponds, I’m going to give you access ideas to see the view

The Ponds I’m listing today are:

• Kent Pond
• Bald Hill Pond
• Newark Pond
• Belvidere/Long Pond
• Jobs Pond
• Clarks Pond
• Joes Pond

This is where planning comes into play and why I write these articles. I think we all know the magic that can happen around a pond in autumn, the reflections, the mist rising off the water, and the fog making the scene magical. With this in mind, let’s get started.

Oh if you don’t have one yet, pick yourself up a Delorme Gazetteer (affiliate link)

Kent Pond in Killington, Vermont (view on a Google map)

A fall morning with mist on the pond and the light was just starting to hit the far side of the pond. You can find Kent Pond in the middle of Vermont’s ski areas. You may have passed right by this place without knowing it. Route 100 and Route 4 merge for a short piece and as you split off from Route 4 on Route 100 North you will want to travel slowly because on the right you will see the entrance for the Kent Pond boat ramp.

There is room to park and stretch your legs with a short (easy) walk to the pond. There is also a trailhead to walk along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail through the woods which ends at the Mountain Meadows Lodge. Actually, you can continue past that on the trail but there is another view of the pond from there so you might stop and check the pond out

Oh if you don’t have one yet, pick yourself up a Delorme Gazetteer (affiliate link)

Newark Pond in Newark Vermont (link to map)

This was pointed out to me by Lisa as she was looking at the Vermont Gazetteer as a possible place to look at. We came in off 5A which can take you to the South beach of Lake Willoughby but before you get there look for Newark Pond Rd. taking this road is just the beginning. You will take this around to the north end of Newark Pond where you will see a parking area on the left and the boat launch on the right.

Oh if you don’t have one yet, pick yourself up a Delorme Gazetteer (affiliate link)

Bald Hill Pond in Westmore Vermont (link to map)

After exploring Newark Pond You can try Bald Hill Pond Rd which the road to take is just past the Newark Pond boat launch. You will follow this dirt road till you come to Bald Hill Pond and you will come to their boat launch and parking area. I flew my drone at both of these ponds because there was no signage at either pond against doing so (as of the time I was here in 2021)

On your way here you will pass by Brown Pond and Sawdust Ponds. I don’t know if they have any scenic views, so you are on your own there. The boat launch for Bald Hill is where I flew my Drone at this point. There is also a trail to take along the edge of the Pond where you can get different views of the pond. Lisa found some wonderful mushrooms to photograph… She LOVES finding mushrooms.

Jobs Pond in Westmore Vermont (view in Google map)

To get to this pond you will retrace your route to Newark Steet and as you turn left you are now on Abbot Hill Rd heading North. You will travel about 3 miles and you will see the turn-off for the boat launch for Job’s Pond. There is no drone flying here but as you see here, I wasn’t really unhappy about it.

Directly across from the ramp is a rock wall covered in maples and evergreens. I had a grey lifeless sky so I did my best to frame my shots without the sky as in the image above.

Here is another article that is a fall foliage primer for finding autumn colors in New England. Also, you should read my Art of Getting Lost.

Belvidere Pond (also known as Long Pond) (See Google map here)

Belvidere Pond is found in Eden Vermont alongside Route 118. If you travel up Route 100 you come to Eden Vermont and here you can turn onto Route 118. Follow the road for about 5 miles and the pond will be on your right and across the road I found a decent pull-out to get out of traffic.

This is another one that has no signage against drones but always check before launching to make sure they have not added new signage. You can explore and see much of the pond by walking along the road. The hills were incredible in 2019 around 5 October.

Clarks Pond in Glover Vermont (see on Google map)

Now Clarks Pond does have signage for no drones so you will have to just stay on the ground and as you see with the image below that if you are lucky, you can get a killer shot right from the side of the pond.

At the far end of the pond, you will find the museum of everyday things, and Lisa and I think this is a fun stop as well. It’s free to enter but please leave a donation to keep the chickens fed.

Joes Pond in West Danville Vermont ( see on Google map)

Joe’s Pond can be found at the junction of Route 15 and Route 2 and is west of Danville VT. There are many areas to park around the pond and in checking with the homeowners association, they didn’t have any specific rules about drones.

You will find a pond-side path that you can walk or bike along to get different views of this large pond (really big enough to be a lake in my book) but by the 4-9th of October, you should find some pretty colors there.

That ends today’s exploration of a FEW of Vermont’s many ponds. There are hundreds if not more to be found and explored and some might need some hiking to get to. These that I mention here are the ones that have one or more access points and you can get to them with any type of car. I hope you find this article useful.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

Visit my Amazon affiliate store for items that Lisa and I have curated for you. These items are either New England-made or things we think will make your fall foliage trip more successful.

• Visit my Fine Art America Gallery
• Visit my Amazon store to pick up New England-related materials
• Visit my Pictorem Gallery (Free shipping in the US and Canada)
• My Facebook foliage page
• Threads.net/@Jeff_Foliage
• Follow our new Fall Foliage FB Group!
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• You can visit Lisa’s Artist Facebook Page by clicking here