A multi-year effort to restore camping and paddling infrastructure on Lake Champlain’s historic Valcour Island continued this summer, with stewardship crews rebuilding a boardwalk along a cross-island hiking trail.

The work was performed by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) stewardship crew and community volunteers, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and with support from a Lake Champlain Basin Program grant. The NFCT’s stewardship crew consists of professional staff and three interns.

“Valcour Island is a premiere destination for campers, paddlers, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts,” said Alex Delhagen, the NFCT’s assistant trail director. “This is the third straight year our team has come to Valcour and, under the guidance of the DEC, restored critical infrastructure, improving safe access and protecting against environmental degradation.”

This year, the NFCT’s team enhanced 180 feet of the Nomad Trail, which connects the eastern and western shores of Valcour Island. The work included replacing 150 feet of an old boardwalk, as well as rehabilitating approximately 40 feet of trail using a mix of gravel and logs to create a dry walking surface, protecting against further erosion to the surrounding woods.

“About three quarters of the old boardwalk had been destroyed or pulled out,” Delhagen said. “We fixed the remaining parts, replacing rotten boards and stabilizing it, and then built a new section of boardwalk along the rest of the trail.”

Past work on Valcour Island has included construction of stone staircases leading users from water access points to campsites, installing new privies, rebuilding old campsite infrastructure and removing debris.

“We’re really impressed with our volunteers and staff for accomplishing this work, especially this year when faced with challenging weather conditions,” Delhagan added.

As the only dedicated water trail crew in the Northeast, the NFCT’s stewardship crew specializes in projects at the interface of land and water, including campsites, portage trails and access points. To learn more about the NFCT’s stewardship work, contact Trail Director Noah Pollock at noah@northernforestcanoetrail.org.

For more information about the NFCT, visit northernforestcanoetrail.org.

About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a nonprofit organization that maintains and promotes the 740-mile water trail that runs from Old Forge, NY, to Fort Kent, Maine, and connects New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire and Maine. The trail showcases the mix of landscapes and communities currently lining the traditional routes used by Indigenous peoples, settlers and guides. It is the longest in-land water trail in the nation and consists of 23 rivers and streams, 59 lakes and ponds, 45 communities and 65 portages. To learn more, visit northernforestcanoetrail.org.