With Quebec to the north and New Hampshire to the east, Vermont’s ‘Northeast Kingdom’ includes Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties and has all the beauty and romance of a long lost era. ‘The Kingdom’ is the most rural part of Vermont and is famous worldwide for four-season recreation, rugged natural beauty and spectacular fall foliage.

The region’s name derives from a speech by long time Vermont U.S. Senator George Aiken who said, “You know, this is such beautiful country up here—it should be called the Northeast Kingdom.”

Throughout the Kingdom there are more than 75 homes, inns, covered bridges and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Kingdom has more forested land than any other region in Vermont and includes Kingdom Trails, a multipurpose wilderness trail system near East Burke that has won national acclaim from major publications as a mountain biking destination.

Whether you hunt with a rifle or binoculars and camera, wildlife is abundant in the Kingdom and big game opportunities abound including moose, deer and turkey. Birders will find dozens of native species including many rare ones if they are patient and industrious. The Northeast Kingdom is also home to many of Vermont’s largest lakes including Caspian Lake, Crystal Lake, Lake Memphremagog, Seymour Lake, and Lake Willoughby where the fishing is excellent and canoeing and kayaking experiences are plentiful.

Its history, relaxed atmosphere, raw beauty and abundant natural areas have made the Northeast Kingdom a muse for many poets, artists, and novelists. Circus Smirkus, teaching the traditional arts of the circus, is located in Greensboro.

St. Johnsbury is the region’s largest town, with easy access from Interstates 91 and 93.  In St. Johnsbury, visitors can tour the Fairbanks Museum or learn about everything maple at the Maple Grove Farms Maple Museum and Factory.  

To the north and west of St. Johnsbury you will find Craftsbury Common, which is one of the loveliest villages in the state and once served as the set for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie The Trouble With Harry. Craftsbury is the home of Sterling College, which specializes in environmental curricula, and nearby is the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, which offers cross-country skiing, running, sculling and a variety of nature programming.

On the Vermont/Canada border in Derby Line you’ll find the historic Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which straddles the U.S/Canada border. Quite literally, you enter the building in Vermont, but check out the books in Quebec. The Opera House features a wide variety of musical and dramatic performances annually.

Other opportunities for fun are easy to find in the Kingdom. You can buy local produce at one of the farmers markets, swim in the cool waters of a Vermont brook, stand inside a covered bridge where couples long ago stole a kiss and travelers sought refuge from the elements. Visit a country store or lie in a field to watch the moon rise. In Vermont, it just doesn’t get better than the Northeast Kingdom.