July Flood Update (9/7/23): Riverwalk Trail is now open. Salmon Hole is open. Sections of the trail remain muddy and slippery due to the mud/silt deposits from the flooding, and the river continues to run high and swift – please use caution when visiting.
Salmon Hole Park & Riverwalk Trail
Located off of Riverside Avenue in Burlington, just before the bridge to the City of Winooski, Salmon Hole, a 6-acre park, gets its name from the spawning salmon that gather in the swirling pool below the Winooski One Hydro dam.
View from Salmon Hole parking lot on Riverside Avenue.
This park offers an interesting history of geology. The rippled rocks speak of the water currents that covered the land about 500 million years ago.
The velocity of the water shows itself in the striations seen in the cliff-side. Small holes can be identified in the rocks as wormholes, one of the most advanced species of their time. If you follow the Riverwalk Trail along the Winooski River, the trail will take you all the way to a viewing area off of Intervale Road.
Enlarged image of trail map: Salmon Hole
Closer view of the rock outcropping in high water. July 2017
