Lake Willoughby fjord view from south
— — a deep cold lake held between two cliff faces.
Not only on a wall.
“Lake Willoughby runs about five miles south to north in the town of Westmore, Vermont, held between the cliffs of Mount Pisgah on the east and Mount Hor on the west. From the south end the lake reads as a single narrow corridor of water with the two mountains closing in above it, a profile often compared to a Norwegian fjord. The lake reaches roughly 320 feet at its deepest and is fed by cold springs. The Northeast Kingdom holds it quietly, with one road, two beaches, and not much else. — from the studio
Lake Willoughby fjord view from south, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Lake Willoughby sits in the town of Westmore in Orleans County, Vermont, in the region known as the Northeast Kingdom. The lake is about five miles long, narrow, and oriented north–south. It is hemmed by two summits of the Willoughby State Forest: Mount Pisgah at 2,751 feet on the east shore and Mount Hor at 2,648 feet on the west. The lake is deep — roughly 320 feet at its maximum — which, combined with its narrow shape between cliffs, gives it the fjord-like profile most often photographed from the southern shore looking north.
The lake's depth and cold-spring sources keep its water clear and cold through summer. Willoughby holds a population of lake trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department manages it as a cold-water fishery. The shoreline is largely undeveloped owing to the surrounding state forest, which preserves the cliff faces of Pisgah and Hor down to the water. South Beach and North Beach, both small and quiet, give the only easy water access. In hard winters the lake freezes solid enough for ice fishing.
Lake Willoughby is reached by Vermont Route 5A, which runs the length of the eastern shore between South Beach and North Beach. The Mount Pisgah south trailhead leaves Route 5A at the south end and climbs about 2.5 miles to the Pulpit Rock overlook and the summit, opening the long fjord-like view down the lake. The CCC-era trail network and the cliff faces are protected within Willoughby State Forest. The nearest village is Westmore; the town of Burke and the Burke Mountain ski area lie about ten miles south.