NetNude - The Ledges, Vermont, Report

The Ledges Vermont 1998

This report is brought to you by Denise & Don. The opinions expressed are those of the person(s) who submitted the report and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NetNude.

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THE LEDGES BY CANOE

Don & Denise at their special spot

Any naturist the least bit familiar with the northeast certainly knows of The Ledges on the Harriman Reservoir in southern Vermont (VT). It is arguably the premier "inland" naturist site in all of New England.

The reservoir itself is a picturesque valley approximately 10 miles long that was dammed for use as a power generating facility in the early part of the century. Currently managed by the New England Power Company (NEPCO), the area is maintained per state requirement as a natural reserve accessible to the public for recreation.

For those of you unfortunate souls who have not had this extraordinary experience, "The Ledges" is a mile long recreation area of flat rocky outcroppings along the rugged northeastern shore of the Harriman Reservoir. Much of this extensive site is not clothing optional (CO). It is comprised of large grassy, shaded picnic areas, swimming areas and boat moorings. The naturist area accessible to "land lubbers" is reached after a 15 minute hike along a wooded trail to the north. Arrival in the CO area is quite obvious. On a nice day one typically steps from the trail into a large crowd of naked people all enjoying the ledges with their magnificent views, the clear cool water, swimming, boating, rafting, fishing and sunshine. There are several gravel beaches in the area that appear as the season progresses and the water level recedes. It is rare to see anyone wearing anything other than his or her birthday suit!

Don & Denise at the northern access point

The site is normally accessible by public access provided by NEPCO 1.2 miles south on Rte.100 at the intersection of Rte.9 just south of Wilmington, VT . It is so popular that unless one arrives early on nice days, there is a good chance the parking lots will be full to capacity and one will be turned away. As chance would have it, my wife and I were two of those hapless individuals one day this summer. However, on that particular outing we had brought our canoe for the first time in anticipation of launching it in the picnic area and navigating to the naturist area. Not willing to be "denied our day in the sun", we struck out to find an alternative access to our favorite spot.

Denise getting comfortable

Following the road running roughly parallel to the lake, we discovered another public access about 3 miles north in the quaint village of Wilmington. Not knowing exactly how far we were from the CO section of "The Ledges" we knew we'd at least enjoy the canoe outing, so we drove our Cherokee right down to the water's edge and prepared for our voyage.

Denise overlooking "The Ledges"

After a half-hour of winding our way down the eastern shoreline, we were delighted as we turned a bend and spotted our destination only a mile ahead. As we approached the area we discovered literally dozens of ideal unoccupied sunning sites that are inaccessible except by boat. We promptly declared one prime location as "ours" and had a perfectly enjoyable day! Needless to say, we have been back many times since and don't even bother with the crowded parking lots any more. We wouldn't think of going now except by canoe!!

Don on the island just off "The Ledges"

This "top secret" access is found by turning west at the only light in the center of Wilmington (onto Castle Hill Road--not clearly marked) and continuing 1.2 miles (up and over a hill). The public area to the right along the reservoir is well marked and quite obvious. One can easily launch a canoe, kayak, or other small craft at this site. Incidentally, at this site (and any other at "The Ledges") there are only minimal chemical toilet facilities available, so one should be sure to take along all needed supplies. Another point worthy of mention is that the ONLY litter one sees is in the non-naturist areas. Naturists, keep up the good work!

If anyone would like more information about this beautiful area, please feel free to contact us.

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