As told by the shores of Lake Champlain, this is the tale of land, industry, activism and community transformation.
It’s hard to imagine today’s Burlington waterfront full of bike paths, concerts, food trucks, and sunset views as anything but the city’s crown jewel. It’s where people gather, breathe, celebrate, and connect with the lake. But not long ago, this stretch of shoreline was gritty, fenced off, and full of oil tanks. To understand how we got this community gem, we have to go back (way back to the 1800s) to when Burlington’s harbor was less about recreation and more about industry, trade, and survival.
Burlington’s Industrial Harbor: Timber, Trade & Transformation
After the Champlain Canal opened in 1823, Burlington was suddenly plugged into a vast trade network. Steamboats and canal barges poured into the harbor. The city expanded the shoreline using timber cribs filled with stone, essentially building land out into the lake to make room for lumberyards, warehouses, rail spurs, and wharves.
By the late 1800s, Burlington had become one of the largest lumber ports in North America. The waterfront was a wall of stacked timber, boxcars, and busy docks, humming with industry from sunrise to sundown.
The Breakwater and Burlington’s Underwater Shipwrecks
To protect this industrial hub, Burlington built a breakwater (a long, cribbed barrier made of timber and stone) to calm the harbor waters. Even with these proactive measures, some ships didn’t make it. The remains of vessels like the O.J. Walker, which sank in 1895, now rest on the lakebed as part of Vermont’s Underwater Historic Preserve.
If you’ve ever looked out over the lake and viewed the Breakwater Lights, there’s literal maritime history beneath the waves.
From Industry to Community: How Burlington Saved the Waterfront
By the mid-20th century, the story took a downturn and the lumber boom began fading. Railroad traffic slowed. The lakefront, which was once a place of trade and energy, grew quiet, fenced off, and industrial. Oil tanks took over large sections of the filled-in shoreline. A waterfront that had once been bustling was now polluted, inaccessible, and seen by many as a liability.
Then came a major turning point in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Developers pitched a plan to build luxury high-rises and private marinas on the waterfront, but the people of Burlington had a different idea.
Cue the Citizens Waterfront Group. This coalition of residents, business owners, environmentalists, artists, and advocates rallied against privatizing the shoreline. They organized neighborhood meetings, spoke out at City Hall, held protests, and helped craft a new vision: a waterfront for everyone.
They weren’t alone. Then-Mayor Bernie Sanders was a vocal supporter of public use and environmental cleanup. Under his leadership and with grassroots momentum, Burlington began reshaping its planning priorities. The city acquired land and created zoning that prioritized parks, and paths for public access while seeking federal and state grants over private development.
It took years of steady work with public bond votes, legal challenges, and community organizing, but it worked.
By the 1990s, you started to see the transformation: oil tanks removed, the first stretches of the bike path opened, and the waterfront slowly reclaimed as green space. The Island Line Trail extended out over the causeway, and festivals like the Discover Jazz Festival and Grand Point North found a home at the newly built Waterfront Park.
What had been an industrial corridor became Burlington’s front porch.
What to Do at Burlington Waterfront Today
Today, the Burlington waterfront is more than just a pretty place to catch a sunset, ride a bike, enjoy a concert, or just relax with friends. It’s a symbol of what a community can create when it comes together with a shared vision. From lumber stacks to lawn concerts, from shipyards to public parks, this stretch of shoreline has been shaped by generations of people who believed it should belong to everyone. That’s what makes it more than scenic. That’s what makes it a Burlington jewel.
Best of Burlington’s Waterfront Activities
To appreciate Burlington’s waterfront past and present:
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Start at Waterfront Park and the Breakwater lights, imagine the old harbor’s breakwater shaping daily life
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Paddle or ferry across Lake Champlain; consider certified diving or kayak tours around historic wreck sites like the O.J. Walker and horse ferry
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Walk or bike the island line trail, reading plaques that interpret Pine Street Canal history, filling operations, and shipbuilding lore
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Explore the ECHO Leahy Center for exhibits on Lake Champlain's natural and industrial heritage
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Visit Preservation Burlington’s walking tours to trace Battery Street’s evolution from Water Street to the modern civic center
Watch this video, History of Burlington’s Waterfront, created for Main Street Landing, which traces the waterfront through images. See the waterfront transform from early wharves and steamboats to oil tanks and urban renewal
