August 28, 2023. Chazy Fossil Reef spans three islands on Lake Champlain on both NY and VT sides of the state border. I visited two VT sites on Isle laMotte.
The reef contains 450 million-year-old fossils from what used to be a tropical marine environment. It is a National Natural Landmark due to it being the “oldest known fossil reef that contains substantial biological diversity” (Wikipedia).
My first stop was Goodsell Ridge Preserve. The visitor center was closed, but the trails and fossil displays are open 24/7 (or perhaps sunrise to sunset). There are two trails that wander through the preserve, but the visible fossils in the slabs are located fairly close to the visitor center.
My next stop was the Fisk Quarry Preserve. There are only a couple parking spaces in the pull-off to the side of the road for this one, and there is no off-street parking. I fortunately had the place to myself when I arrived.
A short path leads to an old and open paved area with exposed shelves of rock at the end. It looks like that area used to be a much larger and nicer parking lot than the one currently offered. There are herd paths leading from the crumbling pavement to the shelves of rock, but the area right in front of those rocks was so marshy and overgrown when I visited that I dared not try to cross. I worried I might sink deeply if I tried to step down anywhere in there. An autumn visit would probably be best for this one.
All I have left is the NRT portion of the Long Trail, and I am finished with Vermont (except for the portions belonging to the AT and the NCT, which I will hike when I thru-hike those trails).