The last of seven picnic shelters and seven minis were installed this sunny Saturday on Grand Isle, one of Vermont’s beautiful Champlain Islands. TimberHomes built these picnic shelters and information kiosks for Local Motion, a bicycle advocacy group based in Burlington, to be place along the Lake Champlain bikeway. This is a huge network of bike trails, stretching from Montreal to the north, nearly to Lake George, NY to the south, on both the New York and Vermont sides of Lake Champlain. The picnic shelters will offer bikers a place to stop and rest at choice spots along 60 miles of the trail from Alburgh to Shelburne Vineyards, and minis will provide information about the trails and nearby sites. If you’re dying to picnic at all seven shelters, check out the map that Local Motion made: Map of All Seven
The picnic shelters and mini kiosks are all made from locally sourced wood. Cedar benches and table tops are supported by white oak sills with black locust feet. Two white oak posts support the roof system, with mortise and tenon joinery throughout. Picnic shelters come as kits to be raised on site, and the elements of the finished shelters (roof, post & girt assembly, table top, etc) fit into a neat 8’x8’x4′ package, making delivery straightforward. All the joinery was test fit in our shop so that on raising day, one crew member from TimberHomes could direct volunteers in a safe & speedy raising.
Mini trailhead kiosks come fully assembled with a lockable cherry picture frame covering the display area. Check out pricing and customization options on our website here: TimberHomes Trailhead Kiosks
Two picnic shelters ready to roll
The fully assembled picnic shelter at Isle La Motte Preservation Trust
Picnic shelter from the side- through tenons visible on the near side of the post, cherry braces and curving plate ties looking quite snazzy.
Seven mini kiosks fully assembled in our Vershire shop.
When you hit the bike path this summer, take a break at a picnic shelter in the following places:
- Hall Home Place (cider tasting room and cafe!) on Isle La Motte
- The Goodsell Ridge Preserve (a 480 million year old fossil reef) on Isle la Motte
- Shelburne Vineyard (the name says it all) in Shelburne, VT
- Colchester Airport Park (soccer, baseball, playground, right on the water) Colchester, VT
- In Alburgh, on route 129 across from the Gold Course (with a beautiful view of Lake Champlain)
- Rutland Railroad Pump House (on the national register of historic places) Alburgh, VT
- Grand Isle Art Works (Art Gallery and Cafe) Grand Isle, VT
- Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery (Vermont’s first grape vineyard) South Hero, VT
