City of New Britain Watershed Lands
Managed by City of New Britain
3,046 acres39 mi of trail
Yellow Diamond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Burlington
Burlington has 112 miles of mapped trails, 3.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: City of New Britain Watershed Lands (39 mi), Nassahegon State Forest (29.1 mi), Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area (15.6 mi). 7% of Burlington’s land is conserved, about 1,405 acres. 173 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #110 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,405 acres · of 29.7 sq mi of land
Trails
112 mi
3.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
173 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,161 ft
Johnnycake Mountain
Lakes & rivers
22
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Burlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burlington is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #110 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Burlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails3.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (112 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (173 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13BParks 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 74%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 29%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Burlington’s 7% is ahead of 14% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 99% 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 City of New Britain Watershed Lands, with 39 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nassahegon State Forest
Managed by State of Connecticut
1,288 acres29.1 mi of trail
Big Dipper
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
756 acres15.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
City of Bristol Watershed Lands
Managed by City of Bristol
669 acres7.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
2,362 acres3.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Pigeon Hill Preserve
Managed by City of Bristol
25 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barnes Nature Center Preserve
Managed by Environmental Learning Centers
11 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Seven Steps Falls Preserve
Managed by The Burlington Land Trust
11 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
City of New Britain Watershed Lands3,046 acres · 39 mi of trail · City of New Britain
DirectionsNassahegon State Forest1,288 acres · 29.1 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsSessions Woods Wildlife Management Area756 acres · 15.6 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsCity of Bristol Watershed Lands669 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · City of Bristol
DirectionsNepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land2,362 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsPigeon Hill Preserve25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Bristol
Barnes Nature Center Preserve11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Environmental Learning Centers
Seven Steps Falls Preserve11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Burlington Land Trust
Sweetheart Mountain Trails2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Canton Land Conservation Trust
Hart Preserve62 acres · The Environment Learning Centers of Connecticut
Malerbo Rec Complex20 acres · Town of Burlington
DirectionsLittle League Field9 acres · Burlington Congregational Church
DirectionsTown of Farmington Open Space6 acres
Property of Marilyn P. Cohen4 acres
Coppermine Village Open Space3 acres
Foote Road Recreation Area3 acres · Town of Burlington
Town Open Space (Pondwood Acres Subdivision)2P2 acres
Town Open Space (Vineland Road)2 acres · Town of Burlington
Who protects it
1,405 conserved acres
7% of Burlington’s land. Who manages Burlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits216 ac
Town or city39 ac
State conservation2 ac
Not recorded1,180 ac
State Conservation Area · 766 acPrivate Conservation · 230 acState Other or Unknown · 147 acLocal Other or Unknown · 141 acLocal Conservation Area · 58 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions Woods Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 766 | Unknown |
| Burlington Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 139 | Unknown |
| Unknown State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 139 | Unknown |
| Taine Mountain Preserve Site Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 109 | Closed |
| Mt. Riga Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 76 | Closed |
| Johnnycake Mountain Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
| Brower Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| City Of New Britain Fresh Air Camp Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Burlington Cemetery Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Barnes Preserve (shrub Rd) Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Burlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Burlington
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Burlington
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Burlington
Bunnell's FallsIn City of New Britain Watershed Lands
DirectionsBurlington FallsIn City of New Britain Watershed Lands
DirectionsFetzer Falls
DirectionsFreeman Hill Brook FallsIn Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsSeven Steps FallsIn Seven Steps Falls Preserve
DirectionsWhigville FallsIn City of New Britain Watershed Lands
DirectionsPeaks in Burlington
Johnnycake Mountain1,161 ft elevation
DirectionsScranton Mountain984 ft elevation
DirectionsSchoolhouse Hill945 ft elevation · In City of New Britain Watershed Lands
DirectionsBarnes Hill928 ft elevation · In Nepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
DirectionsTaine Mountain879 ft elevation
DirectionsWildcat Mountain860 ft elevation · In Nassahegon State Forest
DirectionsMine Mountain653 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Burlington
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 29.2 miHorses · 0.8 miUnpaved · 20.2 mi
Yellow Diamond Trail2.3 mi
Big Dipper0.4 mi
Fiske H. Ventres Bird Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Belden Road PondBender PondBradley PondBroho Pool & Bridge DamCountry PondDunning PondFish & Game PondFrost PondFund PondHinman PondHogan Brothers DamLake ComoLake GardareservoirMonce PondreservoirPunch Brook PondsRatlum Mountain Fish & Game Club PondRoyko PondSabatino PondWhigville ReservoirreservoirWoods PondhatcheryFarmington River
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
7Baseball
6Soccer
5Basketball
4Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 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.
Brown TavernBuilding · listed 1972
About itHitchcock-Schwarzmann MillBuilding · listed 1977
About itGridley-Parsons-Staples HomesteadBuilding · listed 1981
About itJohn Wiard HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itTreadwell HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itHart's Corner Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Burlington: April 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Burlington →
Next door
Burlington and its neighbors
Burlington has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Burlington112 miNew Hartford79 miFarmington66 miAvon66 miCanton51 miHarwinton46 miBristol28 miCollinsville2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 7% | 3.8 | 18 | 36% | B+ |
| Avon | 19% | 2.8 | 71 | 77% | A+ |
| Collinsville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Harwinton | 14% | 1.5 | 38 | 17% | A− |
| Canton | 14% | 2.1 | 9 | 48% | B+ |
| Bristol | 6% | 1.1 | 10 | 71% | B+ |
| Farmington | 27% | 2.4 | 71 | 88% | A+ |
| New Hartford | 13% | 2.1 | 42 | 41% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burlington
Where can I hike in Burlington?
The longest trail networks: City of New Britain Watershed Lands, 39 miles; Nassahegon State Forest, 29.1 miles; Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, 15.6 miles; City of Bristol Watershed Lands, 7.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burlington is conserved land?
7% 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 Burlington’s trails?
City of New Britain Watershed Lands and Nassahegon State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burlington?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Burlington?
16,287 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 173 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #110 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 Burlington 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 →