The picturesque town of Guildhall, Vermont, makes a great starting point for a Connecticut River trip. Put in below the breached Wyoming Dam, on a portage trail improved by a North Woods youth crew.

River banks are largely forested here, and wildlife abounds. Keep your eye out for mergansers - and perhaps moose lurking in the wetlands near the outlet of Washburn Brook. If the water level is high, it is worth passing under a beautiful stone railroad bridge to explore a wildlife-filled wetland complex.

After about nine miles out of Guildhall, you'll come to the South Guildhall campsite, built by a volunteer work crew in 2009, on land generously opened to the public by a local landowner and conserved by the Vermont River Conservancy.

There are several possible destinations for your second day of travel. For a short day, take out just below the Rt 2 bridge, an hour paddle downstream. A paddler access can be found at the Mount Orne covered bridge, about nine miles below the South Guildhall campsite. Three miles further downstream, the John's River boat ramp is located in the town of Dalton, N.H.