Burton Island is a 253-acre park off the southwestern tip of St. Albans Point in Lake Champlain’s 'Inland Sea'. The park is accessible only by boat, with the state’s passenger ferry making the 10-minute trip from Kill Kare State Park.



Burton Island State Park

This state park is named for Kill Kare, a summer camp for boys, which operated on this site from 1912 until 1966. Located on the southwestern tip of St. Albans Point, a three-mile peninsula that defines St. Albans Bay, Kill Kare is surrounded on three sides by the sparkling water of Lake Champlain. The three-story building in the center of the park was built in the 1870’s and operated as a summer resort hotel known as The Rocky Point House. The hotel operated off and on under various owners until 1912, when the boys’ camp purchased the property. Besides the big hotel building, known as “The Main House,” during the camp years, the camp included tennis courts, a baseball field and several small cabins.

Recognizing the need for a mainland base from which to service Burton Island State Park, the State of Vermont purchased the 17-acre Kill Kare property in 1967 after the camp closed. The cottages were removed, and the boat ramp was created on the east shore. The breakwater was built to protect the boat ramp and ferry dock. Some group picnicking was allowed on the grounds, but the primary purpose of the park, in the early days, was to support Burton Island. It was not until the mid-1970’s, a period during which water quality within St. Albans Bay was particularly poor, that the public began to come swimming and picnicking at Kill Kare, and to appreciate the park for its clean water and cooling summer breezes.

State Parks Tagged With: St Albans City