I'll be travelling via Amtrak in late April thru upstate NY. Need to get across lake Champlain into Vermont. When does the Port Kent-Burlington ferry begin running? Is there a limited service at this time? Any other suggestionson getting over the lake and linking with Amtrak on either side? Water Taxis perhaps? Also please advise as to weather conditions at this time. Is it too cold for hiking? Thanks in advance, Scott.

I went to Upper Vermont last april. And the ferry was not running. I believe that it starts running in May.
Hiking will be fine as long as you bring warm clothes, But it is no winter hiking.

Port-Kent ferry doesn't run in April and we do not have any water taxis. There are two other ferries one from Plattsburgh and the other one from Essex. Unfortunately to use any of them you would need a car first to get to a ferry on NY side and then from the ferry in Vermont to any place you want to go. If you want to rent a car from the Enterprise in Plattsburgh (518-566-0190)they will pick you up at the train station and you could return it on the other side. Plattsburgh ferry runs all year round every 20 minutes but Essex-Charlotte (wonderful scenic ride where you will have views of the Adirondacks and Green Mountains) every hour or half a hour. However in April a schedule is still off season so it will run every hour and to be certain I would suggest that you call. Check www.ferries.com. You won't find much information there but at least you get a phone number. But please call because this time of the year everything will depend on weather and schedule could change daily.
The same with hiking. Are you going be here in the begining or the end of April? That makes a big difference. Last April my husband and I were hiking all April. You could always find here smaller peaks where you will hike but on the other hand mud can be a problem on certain trils. Or you can go skiing. Why won't you post this question again just before you ready to come. My suggestion is to go on a train to Plattsburgh, rent a car, and you could get anywhere you want. There is no other way around, for example, to get from Plattsburgh to Lake Placid. There is not much to do in Plattsburgh in April but in the Adirondacks you could find yourself busy all year round. I hope this helps. Any other questions just ask.

Hi Scott

There is also a ferry which runs between Plattsburgh and Vermont. It runs year round. But it's probably an hour from Burlington. I'm sure they have a website -- I'll see if I can find the address.

You're not coming from Scotland, are you?? I have a cousin there named Scott Robertson...

Plattsburgh ferry will take about 12 minutes to cross the lake. Once you're there less than 1/2 hour to get to Burlington.

Thanks for all the help. It'll be late April when I'm there. Unfortunately car rental is not an option due to the bad state of the Kiwi dollar (sorry Anne, I'm not your Scottish cousin).Do either of the other ferries have bus connections to the Amtrak line? Is hitching possible? Does anyone offer private charters across the lake? If so $? Re hiking; can the Mt Marcy trail be walked this early? Thanks for the help. Scott.

Forget Mt. Marcy in April unless you are an experienced winter hiker with winter clothing and equipment. Even if there is no snow around but there will be on Mt.Marcy and most of the high peaks. But there are many wonderful small mountains. I am having a hard time to figure out how you're going to get from Amtrak to the Adirondacks and to any trails and then back to Vermont ferry. Sorry but here is no private service across the lake. You could get taxi from Plattsburgh to the ferry but then on the other side? That's a taugh question since having a car in this area is not a luxury but necessity. As to hitchhiking I wouldn't count on it. You could still rent a car inexpensively if you talk with the agent in Plattsburgh directly. I assume you have a friend here so count on him/her to take you around. This is what my husband and I do when we have friends visiting the Adirondacks. Good luck. Sorry I couldn't give you more optimistic answer. Any other question?

Scott

The website is ferries.com.

Where are you coming from? Maybe you could take Amtrak into Burlington? I don't see how you'll be able to do what you want to do without renting a car. It might balance out what you'd spend on Amtrak and ferries...

Maybe you're a *distant* cousin!

Anne

Ditto the info regarding Mt Marcy - my son climbed it with the Boy Scouts the first week of August '99 and it was 28 degrees at the top!