A winter walk to the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse. (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

There are plenty of reasons to visit the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse, but I usually stopped there before crossing over the Lake Champlain Bridge on my way to Vermont so my children could get their wiggles out. This time, I stopped because a puppy may or may not have an accident inside my car. Let’s not take chances.

Visiting the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse is worth the short walk any time of year. It is located on the grounds of the Crown Point Campground. The level 1/4-mile walk from the gate to the lighthouse’s base is handicap accessible, but not maintained when the campground is closed. Since there aren’t currently any leaves left on the trees, the lighthouse is visible from the campground gate. The snow isn’t deep, but I still end up carrying the pup most of the way. I point out the Lake Champlain Bridge, Vermont’s Chimney Point State Historic Site across the lake and the memorial’s numerous architectural features. I’m sure my puppy understood. She’s so smart.

In 1909, the Tercentenary of the exploration of Samual de Champlain, New York State and Vermont collaborated on converting an existing 72 foot granite lighthouse into a memorial for the 300th anniversary. In July 1609, de Champlain is recorded as the first European to document the lake’s existence and, of course, promptly named it after himself. Algonquin, Montagnais and Huron escorted de Champlain and two Frenchmen guides from the St. Lawrence River to Lake Champlain.

To celebrate the 300 anniversary and US/French relations, the French government donated La France, a bronze bas-relief of a young woman rumored to be a model of sculptor Camille Claudet. Created by Auguste Rodin, sculptor of The Thinker, and numerous other works, the bas-relief personified France, as the French foreign minister proclaimed in his speech, “smiling yet grave, delicate and pure … expressing resolution and sincerity. It is France as she wishes to be and as she is.”

American artist Carl Augustus Heber won the commission to sculpt the bronze figure of Samuel de Champlain flanked by an indigenous guide and a French Voyageur. The three figures overlook the lake while standing above the granite bow of a canoe filled with furs.

For us, it’s a relaxing drive home with just a few sounds of puppy snores. There is a day fee to enter the campground, but it is not applicable after October because it is closed. Another option is to park outside the grounds at the Lake Champlain Visitors Center near the bridge entrance and walk. Please do not block the gate, as staff need to access the property. The address is 784 Bridge Road, Crown Point. Enjoy!