From Burlington, VT to the cabins

Burlington is 115 road miles from the cabins, about two and a half hours: north on I-89 to Swanton, across the top of Lake Champlain on VT 78 and US 2 into Rouses Point, New York, then west on US 11 through Champlain and Chateaugay to the edge of Malone. The route never leaves the United States, and the Grand Isle ferry to Plattsburgh, which runs around the clock all year, is the way across the lake instead of around it. Vermont guests have come for ski trips with the dog and for a hot tub in a snowstorm.

Around the lake or across it

Lake Champlain lies between Burlington and the cabins, so the first choice is how to get past it. The drive around the north end is the default: 115 road miles by interstate, two long bridges and US 11, with no boat to wait for. The Grand Isle ferry crosses to Cumberland Head, north of Plattsburgh, in about 14 minutes and saves miles, and its boats run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The Charlotte ferry, south of the city, sails from early morning to evening and suits a trip that starts south of Burlington. The Burlington to Port Kent boat has not sailed since 2019, and in 2026 the ferry company runs only the Grand Isle and Charlotte crossings, so ignore any old map that shows it.

The route around the top of the lake

Champlain village is about 57 road miles from the cabins, so you are about halfway when you reach it, and Chateaugay is about 22. The last hour is two-lane road through farm country, so fill the tank before you leave the interstate or in Champlain.

I-89 to Swanton

From downtown, city streets lead through Winooski to I-89, which runs north through Colchester and Milton, past Georgia and St. Albans, to exit 21 at Swanton, where VT 78 is First Street. The exit has a Hannaford supermarket at 139 First Street, open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, and gas stations stand on First Street at the exit too.

VT 78 then turns through Swanton village and passes its green. Swanton has kept royal swans there in summer since 1961, when a pair of mute swans arrived from England as a gift from Queen Elizabeth, and in July 2025 the green got a new, larger pond for them. The green is right on the route, so a summer look costs you nothing but a parking space.

The Missisquoi refuge and the bay bridge

West of the village, VT 78 crosses the Missisquoi River and runs through the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, 6,729 acres of mostly wetland on the lake's eastern shore near the Canadian border. Most of its trails are open all year from dawn to dusk, and dogs are welcome on a leash. The easiest stop from the car is the parking area for the Black Creek and Maquam Creek trails, on the left about 2.2 miles past the river bridge, which has a toilet. The trails make a 2.5-mile round trip of about an hour and a half, on mowed paths, boardwalks and gravel that cross a railroad track, with beaver, muskrats, leopard frogs and ducks to watch for. The refuge headquarters, where a one-mile loop starts, is on Tabor Road, six miles west of Swanton.

Past the refuge, VT 78 crosses Missisquoi Bay on a bridge 3,586 feet long, built in 2007, into the town of Alburgh.

Alburgh and the Rouses Point Bridge

VT 78 ends at US 2 in Alburgh. Turn right and follow US 2 through Alburgh village to the Rouses Point Bridge, which carries it across the lake into Rouses Point, New York. The bridge opened on September 22, 1987, replacing a 1937 bridge on the same spot, and it is also named the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge.

At the New York end, the bridge road meets Lake Street. Turn left there, onto US 11. A right turn leads north on US 11 to a Canadian border crossing, and you do not want it: this whole route stays in the United States, so you need no passport for it. A few miles on, in Champlain, US 11 passes the Northway, and I-87 north from there runs to the 24-hour crossing at Champlain and Lacolle. Stay on US 11.

West on US 11

The Price Chopper at 860 Route 11 in Champlain, near the Northway interchange, is open every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and sells beer. It is the bigger of the two supermarkets on the New York side of the route; the other, LaVigne's IGA, is on US 11 just west of Chateaugay village. From Champlain the road runs through Mooers, Mooers Forks and Ellenburg Depot, and it climbs from about 200 feet above sea level to about 1,340 feet, the highest ground of the whole trip, in the town of Clinton. Mountain Marts in Mooers and at the NY 190 junction sell gas. Wind turbines stand along this stretch, and the Marble River wind farm lies along the border in the towns of Clinton and Ellenburg.

From the NY 190 junction, about two miles past Ellenburg Depot, this is the same road as the drive from Plattsburgh, and the Plattsburgh page has the stops in Chateaugay, the town of Burke and the east end of Malone. In Malone the route turns off East Main Street onto Andrus Street and River Road to reach County Route 25 without going downtown; for the last turns, the host's directions are better than a phone map, as getting to the cabins explains.

The Grand Isle ferry

To take the boat, leave I-89 at exit 17 and follow US 2 west onto the islands, then VT 314 to the dock at 1268 Gordons Landing in Grand Isle. The crossing to Cumberland Head is about 2 miles and takes about 14 minutes, and the boats run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year. On weekdays they leave Grand Isle every 10 to 15 minutes from 5:25 a.m. to 6:55 p.m., about every 20 minutes until 11:05 p.m., at 11:45 p.m., and then every 40 minutes through the night. On weekend mornings the boats run every 20 minutes until 8:45 a.m., and the 5:25 and 6:05 a.m. boats skip Sundays. Wind, maintenance and traffic can shift any departure.

There are no reservations; cars board first come, first served. On the fares posted in October 2026, a car under 19 feet with its driver paid $12.25 each way, and a fuel surcharge may be added; the Plattsburgh guide has the full fare table. The docks take credit cards but not Canadian cash, and dogs ride on a leash. For delays, text LCTFerries to 855-450-0444.

The New York dock is at 820 Commodore Thomas Macdonough Highway. From there, the highway and NY 314 lead to the Northway; follow it south one exit, then NY 22 and NY 374 west to NY 190 and the Plattsburgh route. Allow about an hour and a half from the dock to the cabins. With the drive to Grand Isle, the wait and the crossing, the ferry takes about as long as the drive around the lake, with fewer miles on the car. Late at night, when the boats run 40 minutes apart, the drive around usually comes out ahead.

The Charlotte ferry

The Charlotte ferry runs from Charlotte, south of Burlington, to Essex, New York, a crossing of about 3 miles and about 25 minutes. On the schedule posted in October 2026, boats left Charlotte every hour from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with extra half-hourly sailings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and left Essex from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The fares match the Grand Isle boat, there are no reservations, and the company asks you to be on the dock 15 minutes early. The crossing stays open all year as weather permits, but in winter it can close for a while for bad ice or strong north winds.

From Essex the drive north runs up NY 22 to the Northway and past Plattsburgh, about 91 road miles to the cabins, which is more New York driving than the Grand Isle boat leaves you, so it makes sense only if you start south of Burlington.

The island road

The last way is US 2 through the islands. From exit 17 it runs north through South Hero, Grand Isle and North Hero to Alburgh and joins the main route there, where VT 78 comes in. It is about the same distance as I-89 and VT 78 and about 10 to 15 minutes slower on a clear road. It also passes the light where VT 314 turns off for the Grand Isle ferry, so you can make up your mind there.

Flying in to Burlington

Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport is in South Burlington, so a flight there ends with the same drive north on I-89. Airports near the cabins lists its airlines and rental counters and compares it with the airports on the New York side.

The drive by season

Winter

From Swanton to Rouses Point this route runs at lake level, about 100 to 150 feet above sea level, and crosses two long bridges over open water. Then it climbs more than 1,100 feet between Champlain and the high ground in the town of Clinton, and the cabins sit only a little lower. Burlington's forecast zone is Western Chittenden. On the New York side, the highest part of US 11 is in the Western Clinton zone, and Chateaugay and the cabins are in Southern Franklin; read those two before you leave, and see winter driving for tires and what to carry.

The Grand Isle boat runs all winter. The Charlotte boat may stop for ice or wind, so sign up for the text alerts before a winter trip that depends on it.

Summer and fall

Ferry space is first come, first served, so on a busy weekend leave time for a wait at the dock; the road around the lake has no line at all. In Malone, the Franklin County Fair takes over the fairgrounds beside the route's turn off East Main Street for nine days in August, August 8 to 16 in 2026; see the fair guide. For October color on the New York side, the fall foliage guide tracks the weekly state report.

A Friday evening from Burlington

Check-in is after 4 p.m., so leaving Burlington at about 3 gets you there around 5:30, or about 5:45 with a stop for groceries. On Friday, October 30, 2026, the sun sets at the cabins at 5:48 p.m.; on December 4 at 4:16 p.m.; on February 26, 2027, at 5:40 p.m.; and on May 21 at 8:25 p.m. From early November into mid-January, the last half hour or more of a 3 p.m. departure is after dark, close to an hour in December.

1. 3 p.m. Leave downtown for I-89 north.
2. About 3:40 p.m. Exit 21 in Swanton: groceries at Hannaford and gas on First Street.
3. About 4:10 p.m. Over the Rouses Point Bridge; left onto US 11.
4. About 4:20 p.m. Champlain, and the Price Chopper if you skipped Hannaford.
5. About 5:10 p.m. Chateaugay.
6. About 5:25 p.m. The east end of Malone, a good spot to send the host your arrival time. Donovan's Steak and Ale has served dinner until 9 p.m. on Fridays; call ahead.
7. About 5:45 p.m. The cabin.

Running late? Either way works at night: the road around the lake keeps no schedule, and the Grand Isle boat sails all night, every 40 minutes after midnight, with Cumberland Head about an hour and a half from the cabins. New York grocery stores sell beer but not wine, so if you want a bottle with dinner, Harison Wine & Liquor is beside the Andrus Street turn, and the Malone town guide lists both liquor stores.

Why Vermont guests come

Most of the reviews from Vermont guests were written in winter and early spring, and most of them mention the hot tub. A guest from Williston wrote in March 2026, after a ski trip:

We won’t hesitate to return to this location for a third time if we plan another ski trip next year.

A guest from St. Albans, on the I-89 side of this drive, wrote in June 2022, "The hot tub was a fantastic way to relax!" A Barre Town guest spent an April 2024 snowstorm in the hot tub, and a guest from Pittsford wrote in March 2022: "My husband and I wanted a weekend away to just relax, and that is exactly what we were able to do." The Williston guest's ski hill is Titus Mountain, three and a half road miles from the cabins; see the Titus guide.

The Williston guest also brought a dog. The cabins allow pets for a fee under the listings' house rules, and because this route never crosses the border, there is no customs stop for you or the dog; see bringing your dog. The three cabins each sleep four, with a private hot tub and fire pit apiece; the cabins page sets them side by side.

The drive home

Checkout is before 11 a.m., which puts you back in Burlington by early afternoon by either route. Going east, the Grand Isle boat leaves Cumberland Head on much the same timetable, around the clock, and the drive around the top of the lake is the same roads in reverse. If you want one more stop, the Missisquoi refuge trails on VT 78 are a good place to stretch before the interstate.

Questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

1. router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/
2. OpenStreetMap (road distances) nominatim.openstreetmap.org/
3. geocoding.geo.census.gov geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder/
4. epqs.nationalmap.gov epqs.nationalmap.gov/v1/json
5. overpass-api.de overpass-api.de/api/interpreter
6. vtransmaps.vermont.gov vtransmaps.vermont.gov/Maps/VTrans_RouteLogs/RouteLogs_2013_Nov/V078-0
7. maps.vtrans.vermont.gov maps.vtrans.vermont.gov/Maps/VTrans_RouteLogs/RouteLogs_2021_Nov/V078-
8. stores.hannaford.com stores.hannaford.com/vt/swanton
9. iexitapp.com iexitapp.com/Vermont/I-89/Exit%2021/29230
10. wcax.com wcax.com/2025/07/30/royal-swans-swanton-get-new-pond/
11. fws.gov fws.gov/refuge/missisquoi
12. fws.gov fws.gov/refuge/missisquoi/visit-us/trails
13. trailfinder.info trailfinder.info/trails/trail/black-creek-and-maquam-creek-nature-trai
14. wcax.com wcax.com/2025/09/22/this-day-history-september-22-1987/
15. U.S. Customs and Border Protection cbp.gov/about/contact/ports/champlain-new-york-0712
16. pricechopper.com pricechopper.com/stores/ny/champlain/price-chopper-220.html
17. data.ny.gov data.ny.gov/resource/pteg-c78n.json
18. data.ny.gov data.ny.gov/resource/9a8c-vfzj.json
19. data.ny.gov data.ny.gov/resource/d6dy-3h7r.json
20. data.ny.gov data.ny.gov/resource/9s3h-dpkz.json
21. edp.com edp.com/en/north-america/north-america/projects/marble-river-wind-farm
22. ferries.com ferries.com/
23. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/grand-isle-vt-to-plattsburgh-ny/
24. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/grand-isle-vt-to-plattsburgh-ny/schedul
25. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/grand-isle-vt-to-plattsburgh-ny/rates-r
26. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/grand-isle-vt-to-plattsburgh-ny/directi
27. ferries.com ferries.com/general-info/faqs/
28. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/charlotte-vt-essex-ny/
29. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/charlotte-vt-essex-ny/current-ferry-sch
30. ferries.com ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/charlotte-vt-essex-ny/rates-restriction
31. wcax.com wcax.com/2022/06/13/burlington-port-kent-ferry-is-closed-third-season/
32. digital-release.mychamplainvalley.com digital-release.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/will-the-burling
33. btv.aero btv.aero/?p=35
34. National Weather Service api.weather.gov/zones?area=VT&type=forecast
35. National Weather Service api.weather.gov/points/44.769,-74.192
36. aa.usno.navy.mil aa.usno.navy.mil/api/rstt/oneday?date=2026-12-04&coords=44.769,-74.192
37. donovanssteakandale.com donovanssteakandale.com/visit-us
38. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/53628054
39. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/41023086