Description: Since the drive from Albany, NY to Stowe, Vt is quite tedious, we took a ferry.
See the following site to get all of the information about times, rates, and directions to take the Ferry across Lake Champlain from various departure points: http://www.ferries.com/charlotte.html
(Be very aware of the times the ferry takes off or you have a long wait for the next one).
The bad news is that as we got closer to Burlington, we knew we would miss the Burlington, Vt to Keene, NY ferry. The good news there are several ferries to choose from. So we continued driving on down the highway. When we got to Essex we made a split decision to take the Essex Ferry. Luckily we didn't take more than 5 seconds to make the decision because we were the next to last car loaded (only seconds to spare!). What the literature doesn't tell you is how beautiful Lake Champlain is. It was a beautiful view and gives you a rest from driving. It was a clear day so you could really just look out in wonder at Lake Champlain.
We were asked how difficult is it to get your car on and off the ferry. It was a breeze to get on: We drove down the road (well marked) and held our breaths that we would make the ferry in time. Then we just drove on -- kinda like driving within the lines of a car wash. As for getting off, that was pretty funny in our case because of the order. Since we were in the last row and the middle column of cars, when we reached the other side, we thought most cars would drive off before us. Little did we know that they de-loaded the cars by columns. You guessed it - we were in the column selected to go first. So we were running to the car (we were still gazing out on the water), trying to get in with our camera stuff getting caught in the door, trying to start the car without really being in the car yet. And of course laughing at the same time because we looked like bumbling idiots! And I am sure other passengers (who obviously knew the routine) were wondering whether we would hold up the line.
Several suggestions: Check the schedules ahead of time so you minimize the time waiting for a ferry (some are hours apart). Allow yourself enough time to get to the Ferry since it does take between 15 minutes to 45 minutes (depending upon which ferry chosen and which direction) to drive from highway to the ferry departure.
And taking the ferry decreased drastically the time we would be driving on no-pass highways of Vermont!
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