A gift idea for the great outdoors
The Vermont State Parks system has developed a gift idea for the outdoor enthusiast who might already have everything.
Holiday gift packages offer stays in the state’s prettiest places while helping support them and keep them running.
Rochelle Skinner, parks sales and service manager for the Vermont State Parks, said the program is in its fourth year, with items mixed up to provide variety.
Last year alone about $10,000 worth of holiday packages were sold, in addition to about $6,000 in passes and other merchandise. This provides significant revenue for the parks system, Skinner said.
Gift certificates and park passes always have been available, and people say what great gifts they make, Skinner said. But the packages were born as an easy way to share the outdoors with others.
Although parks are unstaffed during the winter months, they remain open for visitors and campers, and on New Year’s Day, free, guided hikes are held in parks statewide.
“We have more capacity to wrap and package them this time of year. So our call center staff turn into elves and assemble and wrap each package that is ordered. We do it all ourselves,” Skinner said.
Gift packages include:
•Day Tripper Package: Offers a punch card for 10 state park day visits, a Vermont State Parks hat and tote bag, and a gift card for a one-hour boat rental. Cost: $39.
•Weekend Getaway Package: This package includes two nights of tent, RV or lean-to camping, two Vermont State Parks water bottles and a tote bag designed by Vermont artists. Recipients even receive a bundle of firewood and a rental of a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Cost: $79.
•Full Season of Family Fun Gift Package: The whole shebang, with a vehicle season pass for unlimited day entry to any state park for up to eight people, two water bottles, a tote bag and two one-hour boat rental gift cards. Costs: $99.
A la carte-style gifts can be made, too, by purchasing individual gift certificates, passes, clothing and accessories. All are available at www.vtstateparks.com.
These are not only fun and unique gifts, Skinner said; they fit with the Green Mountain attitude.
“It’s uber-local,” she said. “It’s a gift of the Vermont outdoors. The proceeds go to support the parks instead of some big box store.”
And except for the vehicle pass, other passes never expire, carrying forward from one year to the next.
Gift packages are available through the holidays, but Skinner encouraged shoppers to order by Dec. 21 to allow for shipping.
For more information visit www.vtstateparks.com or call 1-888-409-7549.
Contact Jessie Forand at jforand@freepressmedia.com or 651-4859.