Vermont offers many great outdoor activities for family and friends to choose from, but camping is still one of the most popular year round.  Numerous campgrounds, which vary from primitive to modern, dot the landscape of each of Vermont's four main regions, ensuring you will find a campground that fits your needs.  Below will be a breakdown of each region in Vermont and some of the best places to camp outdoors.

The northwest region of Vermont is home to the state's largest city, Burlington, where there are plenty of recreational activities for campers to partake in. Part of Lake Champlain, which runs along the border of western Vermont and eastern New York, is located in Burlington, and provides opportunities for fishing, kayaking and boating. Campgrounds, such as the Alburg RV Resort, camp Skyland and Burlington's North Beach Campground, provide camping options along the shores of Lake Champlain.

There is much to explore in the Northeast region of Vermont. Mount Mansfield, located in the historic town of Stowe, offers a variety of hiking trails. Even further east, in the area known as the Northeast Kingdom, bicyclers can enjoy what the Vermont Campground Association calls "some of the best mountain biking trails in the Northeast." Campgrounds, such as Mountain View Campground in Morrisville, Moose River Campground in St. Johnsbury and Tree Corners Family Campground in Irasburg provide a variety of on-site activities and amenities for the enjoyment and comfort of campers.

Central Vermont contains Quechee Gorge, which is locally referred to as "Vermont's Grand Canyon," the Connecticut River on the eastern border, Lake Champlain on the western border and the nation's smallest state capital, Montpelier. Recreational activities in this region are abundant and include scenic walks, biking, hunting, canoeing and fishing. camping options are just as abundant, including Four Springs Farm, which provides camping on an operating organic farm, Lake Bomoseen Campground and White River Valley Campground.

The southern region of Vermont boasts of history and beauty. Visitors can visit the Bennington Monument, which stands in remembrance of the Battle of Bennington, which was fought during the Revolutionary War. Other area activities include hiking in the Green Mountain National Forest, mountain biking on Mount Snow and participating in water sports along the Somerset Reservoir. While there are not as many camping options available in this area as there are in other regions of Vermont, you are still likely to find something to meet your needs at one of the local campgrounds. Campgrounds in the area include Camping on the Battenkill (River) in Arlington, Hidden Acres Camping Resort in Dummerston and Merck Forest Campground in Rupert.

Along with the numerous private campground options, there are also more than three dozen state parks offering camping throughout the state. Vermont State Park camping options include Big Deer State Park in Groton, Fort Dummer State Park in Brattleboro, Green Mountain Reservoir State Park in Morrisville, Little River State Park in Waterbury and Silver Lake State Park in Bethel. Many state parks offer swimming, fishing, boating and hiking.

Mitch Kiesler