Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a large natural freshwater lake. Head to Colchester to see it. Around it, Ausable Chasm (6.5 mi) comes first on our list.
A lake inside Colchester
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 10°, with about 50" of snow a year. When to go ↓
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 147K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 98% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
You can stay in Colchester
Lake Champlain is inside Colchester, which has 16 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep
May, June, July, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 68–81°. When to go ↓
An airport 10 miles away
Patrick Leahy Burlington (BTV) has airline service, about 10 miles from Lake Champlain.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Choosing a month
Here are the months at Lake Champlain, with their weather.
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a large natural freshwater lake in North America. With a length of 107 mi (172 km) and surface area over 500 sq mi (1,295 km2), it lies mostly between the U.S. states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec.
Burlington, Vermont, and Plattsburgh, New York, are the largest settlements on the lake, and towards the south lies the historic Fort Ticonderoga in New York. The Quebec portion is in the regional county municipalities of Le Haut-Richelieu and Brome-Missisquoi. There are numerous islands in the lake; the largest include Grand Isle, Isle La Motte and North Hero: all part of Grand Isle County, Vermont. Because of its connections both to the St. Lawrence Seaway via the Richelieu River, and to the Hudson River via the Champlain Canal, Lake Champlain is sometimes referred to as "The Sixth Great Lake".
- Type
- Lake
- Area
- 490 square miles
- Elevation
- 92 ft
- Wikipedia readers
- 147K a year
Overnight near Lake Champlain
Places to stay start in Colchester (16) and Burlington (21).
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Lake Champlain | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester | in town | — | 16 9 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 5 campgrounds | 17,565 | $394K | C+ |
| Burlington | 5 mi southeast | 10 min | 21 9 hotels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 2 hostels · 2 campgrounds | 44,019 | $445K | D− |
| South Burlington | 10 mi southeast | 15 min | 18 14 hotels · 3 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 21,394 | $443K | D |
| South Hero 32% vacation homes | 7 mi north | 10 min | 7 3 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 2 campgrounds | 1,726 | $558K | — |
| Plattsburgh | 15 mi northwest | 20 min | 17 12 hotels · 3 motels · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 11,748 | $180K | — |
| Shelburne | 11 mi southeast | 15 min | 10 4 hotels · 2 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground | 8,133 | $588K | B− |
| Chesterfield | 8 mi southwest | 10 min | 7 2 lodges & cabins · 5 campgrounds | 2,402 | $143K | — |
| Peru | 12 mi west | 20 min | 8 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 6 campgrounds | 6,669 | $203K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Close to Lake Champlain
These well-known places are within 64 miles.
Big draw48 mi LandmarkFort Ticonderoga
41 mi MountainMount Marcy
125 mi MountainMount Mansfield
26 mi Canyon & gorgeAusable Chasm
30 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
64 mi LakeLake George
62 mi State parkAdirondack Park
312 mi MuseumShelburne MuseumPhoto credits
Fort Ticonderoga: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Ausable Chasm: Alan Prusila / Alanp35 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake George: Sixlocal, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shelburne Museum: Storylanding, CC0
Questions before you go
Is Lake Champlain in Colchester?
Yes. It’s inside Colchester, VT.
When is the best time to visit Lake Champlain?
May, June, July, August and September, with highs of 68–81°.
What is the closest airport to Lake Champlain?
Patrick Leahy Burlington (BTV), about 10 miles away. The nearest big hub is Albany (ALB), about 125 miles.
Where should I stay near Lake Champlain?
Burlington (5 mi, 21 places to stay), Colchester (in town, 16 places to stay) and South Burlington (10 mi, 18 places to stay).
Ask a local in Colchester
Share what you know in Colchester’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.