Bellamy Preserve
Managed by Bethlehem Land Trust
96 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Joseph Bellamy House · Photo: Jerry Dougherty · CC BY 2.5B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bethlehem
14% of Bethlehem’s land is conserved: 1,728 acres
191 acres are parks and preserves, 56 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Bellamy Preserve (2.2 mi), Swendsen Farm Preserve (0.9 mi). 36% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #125 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,728 acres · of 19.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
191 ac
56 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,129 ft
Todd Hill
Lakes & rivers
16
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Bethlehem?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bethlehem have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bethlehem is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #125 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bethlehem’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land56 acres of park per 1,000 residents (191 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home36% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 19%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Bethlehem’s 14% is ahead of 46% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 3% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bellamy Preserve, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Swendsen Farm Preserve
Managed by Town of Bethlehem
129 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B. Earl Canfield Jr. Preserve
Managed by Bethlehem Land Trust
50 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Town Open Space (Hunt's Land)
Nature preserve
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Bellamy Preserve96 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Bethlehem Land Trust
DirectionsSwendsen Farm Preserve129 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Bethlehem
DirectionsLeever Preserve5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Bethlehem Land Trust
Nonnewaug Pines8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Bethlehem Land Trust
DirectionsB. Earl Canfield Jr. Preserve50 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Town Open Space (Hunt's Land)20 acres
DirectionsSchwartz Preserve19 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Sky Meadow18 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
DirectionsAnni and Peter Bergman Preserve16 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Tousi Mountain13 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Risley Refuge13 acres · Bethleham Land Trust
Ancient Oak Preserve12 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Two Rivers Preserve10 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Wood Creek Preserve10 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Nonnewaug Pines (Conservation Easment)9 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
DirectionsSherlock Homestead7 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Muck Swamp7 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
High Meadow Farms6 acres · Flanders Nature Center
Long Horizon4 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Green Hill Meadow3 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Hickory Lane2 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Crane Hollow2 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Langlois Preserve2 acres · Bethlehem Land Trust
Town Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,728 conserved acres
14% of Bethlehem’s land. Who manages Bethlehem’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners475 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)255 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government140 ac
State conservation128 ac
Other state land111 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits59 ac
Not recorded1,137 ac
Private Conservation · 757 acUnknown Easement · 628 acAgricultural Easement · 523 acLocal Other or Unknown · 198 acLocal Recreation Area · 119 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 612 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 74 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 499 | Unknown |
| Regina Laudis Abbey Private Conservation | Not recorded | 315 | Unknown |
| Long Meadow Pond Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 119 | Unknown |
| Bethlehem Fairgrounds Private Conservation | Not recorded | 65 | Unknown |
| Canfield Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Risley Refuge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Woodbury Southbury Rod and Gun Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Bethleham Land Trust Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 9 | Open |
| Nonnewaug Pines Private Conservation | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| Evergreen Cemetery Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Bethlehem
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bethlehem
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Bethlehem
1 playground without a name on the map.
Peaks in Bethlehem
Todd Hill1,129 ft elevation
DirectionsCarmel Hill1,056 ft elevation
DirectionsMagnolia Hill965 ft elevation
DirectionsBird Hill853 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
16 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bethlehem: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Bethlehem →
Next door
Bethlehem and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | 14% | 0.3 | 56 | 36% | B+ |
| Washington | 30% | 1.7 | 638 | 44% | A |
| Morris | 32% | 1.8 | 12 | 5% | B+ |
| Woodbury | 20% | 1.1 | 48 | 43% | A− |
| Watertown | 18% | 1.2 | 44 | 50% | A |
| Bethlehem Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bethlehem
Where can I hike in Bethlehem?
The longest trail networks: Bellamy Preserve, 2.2 miles; Swendsen Farm Preserve, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bethlehem is conserved land?
14% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bethlehem’s trails?
Bellamy Preserve and Swendsen Farm Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bethlehem?
10,140 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bethlehem or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 191 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bethlehem have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #125 of 155 in Connecticut. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bethlehem neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →