Champlain Islands, Vermont

The largest freshwater Lake in the East holds a scattering of islands strung together like fish on a line, generously strewn with some of the prettiest farms and fields in New England. The Lake Champlain Islands in Vermont rise out of the mist like Atlantean remnants, with views to the horizon, and roads with names like West Shore trailing along the water. The lake is everywhere. You can read about it in Yankee Magazine about a year from now, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak preview. Isle La Motte, North and South Hero, Grand Isle, and the peninsula of Alburgh offer unparalleled biking, swimming, fishing, and boating, along with a couple of farmers markets, a smattering of art galleries, inns, b&bs,  and not much else besides exceptional, unspoiled beauty. With solstice just around the corner, I can’t imagine a sweeter place to celebrate our summer’s brief but lovely season.

Read more about Annie’s travels at anniegraves.com.