SOMERSET RESERVOIR paddling in southern Vermont.

Somerset Reservoir is the southernmost lake in Vermont where loons nest.  There is a little motorboat traffic limited to 10mph, no waterskiing, no jetskis allowed and can be fairly quiet.  Scenery is outstanding with views of Stratton Mtn, Mount Snow & Glastenbury Mtn.  Shores are undeveloped except for the big dam at its southern end.  One can paddle a good 15 miles around its shoreline and there are some nice picnic spots, some on islands.  The Catamount Ski Trail runs along its east side.  Camping is not allowed.  Nearest camping is 3 miles away at Somerset Airfield Campground - free car-camping with privies in the Green Mountain National Forest - not a lot of privacy, the sheriff stops and checks on things occasionally.

Oct 11, 2015 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR. Water level drawn down a few feet revealing rocky shoreline. 10-15mph winds fron SW so quickly crossed to W side but still had to occasionally deal with wind & waves up to 1'. Paddled into the W bay & stopped at an island. Colors & views were absolutely lovely - Stratton & Little Stratton Mountains stood out to the N, Mount Snow to the SE. Couple of motorboats out fishing but lots of space for everyone. Loon. 7.2 miles, 3.5 hours.

July 6, 2014 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR in southern VT.  About 6 miles long, undeveloped.  SW winds 10-20mph.  Paddled over to & stayed on the W side.  Stopped at a picnic site (camping not allowed on SR) with small beach - did some rescue practice, swimming, cooking (interesting 2 sided fire pit) & relaxing then headed back in the late afternoon.  Views of Mt Snow & Stratton, Searsburg Wind Farm.  Quite a few loons.  A handful of motorboats, fishing.  Fairly quiet overall.  8 hours.  WS Zephyr 160 PRO kayak handles wind & waves so well I did not need to drop the skeg.

Aug 1, 2010 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR in southern VT.  Paddled most of the undeveloped perimeter.  A few small motorboats (fishing), fewer paddlers.  Jetskis, waterskiing not allowed.  Deerfield River.  Views of Mt. Snow, Stratton Mtn, Glastenbury Mtn. Osprey, loons, mink, C geese, gb herons, kingfishers, mergansers.  Lots of flowers incl. bottled gentian.  Lunched on one of several islands at N end.  No bad bugs during the paddle.  ~15 miles, 7 hours.  Stopped at the dam after paddling for the view up the reservoir - saw 5 loons together & got 2 blackfly bites.

Jul 5, 2009 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR near Wilmington, VT.  Quite a few picnickers near the parking area but much mellower out on the water.  Some motor boats, 10mph speed limit, mostly fishing - PWCs & waterskiing not allowed.  Waves up to 1', winds W 10-20 mph so we paddled across to W shore.  Sandpipers, gb herons, loons.  Mountain views include Stratton & Snow, undeveloped shores other than dam at S end.  Canoe/kayak launch area requires carrying the boat 100'.  Relaxed on an island with loony tunes.  Bell Prospector - a 16' canoe - sweet!  On drive home, saw a moose in wetland not far from Rt.9 in Woodford.

May 19, 2008 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR in southern VT.  Undeveloped shores.  W winds gusting to 30mph, some horizontal sleet (temp in low 40s), some sun.  Quickly got over to W shore to minimize wind exposure.  Loons, bald eagle, mallards, beaver; moose tracks.  Flowering: hobblebush, trout lily, painted trillium; still looks like early spring here, trees only starting to leaf out.  Views of Stratton Mt. & Mt. Snow (still some snow left on N side).  Too windy for bugs.  4 hours.

May 30, 2004 - SOMERSET RESERVOIR kayaking in southern Vermont near Wilmington. Gravel drive at put-in E of the dam at S end of the 5 mile long lake. Winds NW 10-20mph with higher gusts created some 1'+ waves - decided to do most of our paddling close to the W shore. Shores are undeveloped, PWCs & water skiing are not allowed & a 10mph speed limit keeps motor traffic down to a few fishing boats. Mt. Snow dominates views to the SE & Stratton to the N. Saw a loon nest with one egg in it on a small island also occupied by C geese - 2 adult loons waited patiently for us to vacate the area. After lunch on a rocky beach we paddled up the Deerfield River inlet. Eventually, rocks block most of the channel but that only became a challenge to Nehasane as I maneuvered in barely enough water sometimes using my hands to pull myself over shallow rocks. Able to go about 200 yds. this way to a deep water section below some shallow rapids. Was worried about how my Werner Kalliste bent-shaft carbonfibre paddle would take the beating but it came out with just a few new scratches - for a lightweight paddle it is still very tough - their manufacturing standards are top-notch. We paddled around some islands at the N end of lake before heading back. Blackflies were terrible at the put-in but not a factor during our 2 break stops. 14 miles, 6.2 hrs. Dagger Specter 15.5 - a 15'3" touring kayak made of Airalite - very nice cruising speed for a boat of this length, feels solid in waves, so comfortable I could have gone a few more hours - does weathercock (bow wants to turn into the wind) some which can be handled by edging & sweep strokes (this gets tiring after a while) or dropping the rudder - looks & finish attract others' attention. Minor beef: lack of perimeter lines which can help during rescues; rear bulkhead placed well back of seat allows for storing much stuff behind the seat but takes away from rear dry storage & makes emptying water from the cockpit during rescues harder. Tasty after-paddle brews & food at the Maple Leaf Brewery in Wilmington.

Oct 7, 2002 - Somerset Reservoir, southern Vermont kayaking. Southernmost lake where loons breed (& we see plenty of them), probably due to its relatively high altitude (2,100'). Stratton Mt. looms to the N, Mt. Snow prominent to the SE. Fall colors close to peak. Paddled in & out of just about every bay & inlet including the E. Branch of the Deerfield River. Started out foggy & ended up sunny with a few minutes of rain shower (Stohlquist Contour semi-dry top & OR Seattle Sombrero hat both made of Gore-tex keep me dry.) Tailwind from the put-in at the dam; wind mellows as the day progresses. See an osprey on the way back. No development other than the dam - very quiet - don't remember if I even heard any planes. No-one else around on a Monday. 12-15 miles, 5.5 hrs. Impex Susquehanna, a 16'6" fiberglass touring kayak, is a very enjoyable boat to paddle, cruises effortlessly, has just the right blend of tracking & turning ability, partially employed the skeg when wind made it harder to keep on course. The advantages of a skeg over a rudder are: lighter, less moving parts (less to go wrong), more likely to still be in the water when on a wave (a skeg is most often located closer to the center of the boat, a rudder can be out of the water when on a wave), has less drag & can be partially deployed.

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