The Lake:
Lake Pauline is a actually a section of the Black River that has been dammed up at its southern end. It is over a mile long and about 300 feet wide in front of the cottage. VT Route 100 runs along the lake's western shore, most of the houses are along the eastern shore and there are no motorboats allowed. The cottage sits on a little cove, with no other houses on the shore for several hundred feet in either direction, giving it a relatively secluded feeling. There's a path to the water with a bench for hanging out and a dock for access to your canoe or kayak (neither is provided, but the general store in Tyson--about 2 miles away--rents them). The little cove is full of wildlife (geese, ducks and beavers) but it is shallow and mucky and not well suited for swimming (there is an excellent swimming beach at the VT State Park on Echo Lake--also about 2 miles away).
The Mountains:
Okemo is a family-owned, family-operated and family -oriented ski area with an emphasis on well-groomed, intermediate terrain, excellent snowmaking and great ski-school and racing development programs. Okemo Mountain's Jackson Gore entrance is about 1.5 miles away with a hotel, spa, skating rink, restaurant and a wonderfully under-utilized base lodge. Okemo also runs a golf course.
Killington is the biggest ski area in the East, with the most varied and challenging terrain around--not to mention the longest season. Killington's Skyeship (Gondola) Base is about 14 miles away. If you park here, you can end your day with a 4.5 mile cruiser down 'Great Eastern.' Killington also owns Pico Mountain, an old-school family-oriented gem of a place, with a good deal less hustle-bustle than either Killington or Okemo. Killington also runs a golf course and has plenty of non-ski activities (lift-served downhill mountain biking, alpine slide, rock-climbing, etc.) in the off-season.
The Area:
The Calvin Coolidge Historical Preservation--and Calvin's burial site--are in nearby Plymouth. The Appalachian Trail and Vermont's Long Trail are accessible from Sherburn Pass in Killington. Hawk Mountain Resort (about 4 miles away) offers boat rentals and horseback riding. Mountain Top Inn (in Chittenden) offers outstanding cross-country skiing in the winter and horseback riding in the summer. There's excellent biking right out the door. There are numerous restaurants in Ludlow and Killington. There's a grocery store, hardware store and movie rentals in Ludlow, There's also hunting, fishing and snowmobiling in the area.
