Tom Slayton has been visiting state parks this summer, offering commentaries that share his perceptions and discoveries. Here's his summation of that summer-long experience.

In his summer of visiting Vermont State Parks, Tom Slayton has often found traces of history. But none more starkly surprising than what he found in Jamaica State Park, in southern Vermont.

About half of Vermont's state parks were established in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It's an era of history not widely remembered, but Tom Slayton has found plenty of evidence of it in his travels to the state parks this summer.

This week, Commentator Tom Slayton visited Camp Plymouth State Park, which is now back in operation, but a year ago was ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene

When Tom Slayton visited Smugglers' Notch recently, as part of his summer series on Vermont State Parks, he discovered some of the subtler attractions of the place.

This summer, Tom Slayton has been climbing mountains and paddling rivers in his quest to visit Vermont's most interesting state parks. Recently, he visited a string of islands in Lake Champlain.

Most people who visit Little River State Park come for boating or swimming at the Waterbury Reservoir. But there's also a lot of Vermont history in the hills above the lake. Tom Slayton went there recently - with two families and a park interpreter.

Some of the Vermont State Parks that Tom Slayton is visiting this summer are more challenging than others. Ascutney State Park meant a stiff mountain climb - through a couple of centuries of Vermont history.

This summer, Tom Slayton is exploring one of those familiar "hiding in plain sight" treasures that are available to all Vermonters - our State Park system. 

As part of his summer series of commentaries on Vermont State Parks, Tom Slayton recently camped next to the Connecticut River at a canoer's haven - Wilgus State Park.