Salmon Hole in Winooski, Vermont is a beautiful natural sanctuary, not at all far from the University of Vermont’s Trinity Campus. The location is characterized by many large rocks which have probably been in this same location for more than 500 million years. Evidence suggests glacial activity, which was once predominant in the northeast, as portrayed by the many large, flat and jagged pieces of metamorphic as well as sedimentary bedrock which comprise the area. There is evidence of strong currents which once consistently flowed over the exposed bedrock here, creating ripples etched into the surface. These ripples are probably the work of either Glacial Lake Vermont or the Champlain Sea: two water bodies which dissipated from northern Vermont over time. Wormholes can be located in the bedrock indicating past life in the area, as can subtle imprints, faint fossilizations of past aquatic life and relics from former water-bodies.
Looking down at the Salmon Hole location from the footpath above, many key elements to identifying this area are plainly obvious. Fishermen standing in and around the river, casting their lines in search of the fish which travel through the Winooski River here, particularly salmon in the colder fall months as well as different kinds of bass and trout year round. It is easy to identify the many large pieces of bedrock which surround the relatively stagnant water, and further to the west, the water picks up its pace, rushing over chunks of rock and creating a strong current which salmon and other migratory fish frequent.
There is a small beach to the left of where the main footpath originally lets visitors out into the rocky area. This beach is covered in sand and gritty soil; American Beech Trees are predominant here along with other soil-tolerant hardwoods such as Eastern Cottonwood and Sugar Maples. There is evidence of beavers having gnawed at the maples on this beach and holes in two of the deceased Beech Trees indicate parasitic insects such as termites.
If a visitor were to look straight ahead from where the footpath lets out, they would notice a large grouping of deciduous trees surrounded by smaller flowering plants and weeds. Some of these plants include American Asters, Common Milkweed and Common Dogwood. This particular area of Salom Hole is flourishing with natural life as well as evidence of human use. There are pieces of pipe strewn about, reflective of the large factories and general industry which surrounds the location and there are also significant amounts of litter which suggest regular human use.
Salmon Hole is a beautiful destination in Winooski, Vermont which sits amidst the ever-continuous rigor of daily civilian life. While there are many components of industrial Vermont visible from the sight there is also an overwhelming amount of natural history to be both explored and observed. Salmon Hole is an alluring location that visitors of northern Vermont should not hesitate to investigate.
