The Lower Barton River is a lovely summer paddling destination in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The reach is almost entirely flat water. The river can be an easy out and back half day trip from the South Bay Access on Lake Memphremagog or if shuttling cars is an option, the Coventry Station Access offers an ideal put-in for a one-way paddle down river to Newport.
The Barton River flows through the 1,800 acre South Bay Wildlife Management Area, which is dominated by red maple-northern white cedar swamps, sweet gale-buttonbush shrub swamps, floodplain forests, sedge meadows, and cattail marshes. A variety of wildlife can be seen on this remote stretch of the river. Keep your eyes out for great blue herons, snapping turtles and other wetland creatures.
Check out this video for more information:
To learn more about this region and plan your trip, visit the Northern Forest Canoe Trail website. There you can:
For more information, visit the NFCT website or contact:
Northern Forest Canoe TrailPut-in - The put-in is on Coventry Station Road in Coventry, at the bridge where the road crosses the Barton River.
Take-out - The take-out is at the Vermont Fish And Wildlife South Bay Access Area. This large access area is just south of Newport on Coventry Street (which is also the US-5 truck route).
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