For residents on a tight budget, exploring Vermont’s 55 state parks can be cost-prohibitive. This summer, a pilot program aims to remove that barrier. Vermont Parks Forever will offer more than 100,000 income-eligible Vermonters free entry to all state parks, from May through October. The nonprofit foundation has been dedicated to promoting nature education and equity in the outdoors since it was founded in 2013.
Anyone enrolled in social-services programs — including 3SquaresVT, WIC, Summer EBT, Reach Up, General Assistance, Fuel Assistance or the Essential Person Program — is eligible to participate by showing an active EBT or WIC card at a park entrance. A special card is also available at local Economic Services district offices.
Vermont Parks Forever executive director Sarah Alberghini Winters encouraged people to take advantage of the benefit. Every park is special in its own way, Alberghini Winters said, and families can visit vtstateparks.com/park-finder to find the best spot for them.
She grew up in Waterbury and said she has fond memories of Waterbury Center State Park, with its swimming beach and expansive lawn. She’s also a fan of Boulder Beach for its proximity to the Groton Nature Center, a facility that hosts education programs and was redesigned two years ago with support from Vermont Parks Forever.
“If there are more children getting outside, more people getting off their screens … falling in love with our state and the nature that we have access to,” Alberghini Winters said, “for me, that’s success.”
Learn more at vermontparksforever.org/paf-pilot.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Free to Roam”
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This article appears in The Summer Preview 2025.
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