Salmon River State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
2,577 acres12.2 mi of trail
Good FridayOld Willimantic TurnpikeLong ClimbCowgirl+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Marlborough
27% of Marlborough’s land is conserved: 3,996 acres
28 miles of mapped trail cross Marlborough, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Salmon River State Forest (12.2 mi), Meshomasic State Forest (3.6 mi). 205 acres are parks and preserves, 33 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #38 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
3,996 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
205 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
630 ft
Carter Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Marlborough?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marlborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marlborough is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #38 of 155 in Connecticut. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marlborough’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (205 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home71% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 76%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Marlborough’s 27% is ahead of 84% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Salmon River State Forest, with 12.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Meshomasic State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
508 acres3.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Connecticut Park and RideWebsite ↗
East Glastonbury Fish & Game Association
Managed by East Glastonbury Fish and Game Association, Inc.
451 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Connecticut Park and Ride
Blish Memorial Park
Nature preserve
45 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Salmon River State Forest2,577 acres · 12.2 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsMeshomasic State Forest508 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsBlish Memorial Park45 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMarchand Open Space2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Glastonbury
East Glastonbury Fish & Game Association451 acres · East Glastonbury Fish and Game Association, Inc.
DirectionsWest Road Open Space33 acres
DirectionsDickinson Road Open Space31 acres
Hickory Road Open Space29 acres
Saner Road Open Space11 acres
Kellogg Road Open Space8 acres
Hemlock Farms Open Space7 acres
Millstone Drive Open Space7 acres
Blackledge River Woods Subdivision6 acres
Farley Field5 acres
Laurel Lane Open Space4 acres
Arbor Acres Open Space3 acres · Town of Glastonbury
Winter Hill Farm Open Space2 acres · Town of Glastonbury
Rolling Ridge Tennis Court1 acres
Who protects it
3,996 conserved acres
27% of Marlborough’s land. Who manages Marlborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits345 ac
Town or city190 ac
State conservation36 ac
Private owners24 ac
Other state land2 ac
Not recorded3,798 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,725 acPrivate Conservation · 555 acLocal Other or Unknown · 534 acConservation Easement · 345 acLocal Conservation Area · 149 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 31 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 71 of 86 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon River State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,283 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 534 | Unknown |
| East Glastonbury Fish And Game Club Private Conservation | Private owners | 432 | Closed |
| Meshomasic State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 357 | Unknown |
| Meshomasic State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 85 | Unknown |
| 4H Camp Private Conservation | Not recorded | 85 | Unknown |
| Blish Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Dickinson Road Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| West Raod Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Hickory Road Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Marlborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Marlborough
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Marlborough
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Marlborough
CascadeIn Meshomasic State Forest
DirectionsPeaks in Marlborough
Carter Hill630 ft elevation
DirectionsFuller Hill627 ft elevation
DirectionsChalker Hill449 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 9.0 mi
Good Friday1.3 mi
Old Willimantic Turnpike1.2 mi
Long Climb1.0 mi
Blackledge River Greenway1.0 mi
Cowgirl0.5 mi
Entry Trail0.4 mi
Blackledge River Greenway Trail0.3 mi
Keenan's Climb0.2 mi
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
5Tennis
4Baseball
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Marlborough: 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) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Marlborough →
Next door
Marlborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | 27% | 1.2 | 33 | 71% | A |
| Hebron | 24% | 2.1 | 81 | 52% | A |
| Colchester | 20% | 1.4 | 25 | 33% | A− |
| Glastonbury | 29% | 3.4 | 72 | 99%+ | A+ |
| East Hampton | 24% | 2.1 | 83 | 43% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marlborough
Where can I hike in Marlborough?
The longest trail networks: Salmon River State Forest, 12.2 miles; Meshomasic State Forest, 3.6 miles; Blish Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marlborough is conserved land?
27% 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 Marlborough’s trails?
Salmon River State Forest and Meshomasic State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Marlborough?
12,061 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marlborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 205 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marlborough have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #38 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 Marlborough 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 →