Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
Managed by National Park Service
1,987 acres16.4 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Salisbury
42% of Salisbury’s land is conserved: 15,353 acres
2,173 acres are parks and preserves, 514 per 1,000 residents. 56 miles of mapped trail cross Salisbury, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space (16.4 mi), Yoakum Preserve (2.7 mi), Hamlet Hill (2.2 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #33 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
15,353 acres · of 57.2 sq mi of land
Trails
56 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,173 ac
514 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,280 ft
Round Mountain
Lakes & rivers
33
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Salisbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild42% of the land is conserved; a typical Connecticut town, 15%.Room to roam514 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 80% of U.S. towns.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salisbury is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #33 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Salisbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (56 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land514 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,173 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home45% 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 91%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 79%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Salisbury’s 42% is ahead of 99% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% 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 Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space, with 16.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Yoakum Preserve
Managed by Salisbury Association
254 acres2.7 mi of trail
Wolf Hill Loop TrailYoakum Preserve Access TrailShort Loop Trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
Hamlet Hill
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
374 acres2.2 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Edith Scoville Memorial Park
Nature preserve
276 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dark Hollow Preserve
Nature preserve
302 acres1.6 mi of trail
Summit TrailLower TrailFarnum Fields TrailRail Trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Pope Preserve
Managed by Town of Salisbury
89 acres1.1 mi of trail
Pope Preserve loop trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Centennial Watershed State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
451 acres0.9 mi of trail
Yoakum Preserve Access Trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
Mount Riga State Park
Nature preserve
332 acres0.9 mi of trail
Lower Sages Ravine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 43 parks & preserves
Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space1,987 acres · 16.4 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsYoakum Preserve254 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Salisbury Association
Hamlet Hill374 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Edith Scoville Memorial Park276 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDark Hollow Preserve302 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Pope Preserve89 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Salisbury
Centennial Watershed State Forest451 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Mount Riga State Park332 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBelter Lime Rock Preserve97 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Housatonic State Forest60 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsInka's Woods Preserve52 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Salisbury
Mary Alice White Easement18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Town Open Space30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Town Open Space (Barrack-Matiff)16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Town Grove9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Wack Forest43 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Twin Oaks Preserve1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Sharon Land Trust
Beeslick Pond163 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Winter Woodland139 acres · Salisbury Association
Belcher103 acres · Salisbury Association
DirectionsEast Twin Lake Water Access98 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Bauer Woods62 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Tory Hill Preserve49 acres · Town of Salisbury
Scoville Easement44 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Sycamore Field Preserve42 acres · Town of Salisbury
Maria Peters Memorial Park34 acres
Schlesinger Bird Preserve16 acres · Town of Salisbury
Rosenfeld Easement16 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Whiteridge Easement16 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Brinkman Easement13 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Wingeback Easement13 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Topscott Easement7 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Cannon Park And Ballfield6 acres
Trotta Field6 acres
Salisbury Village Open Space6 acres
DirectionsWashinee And Reynolds Rockwell Parks6 acres
DirectionsBauer Park5 acres
Oak Hill Park4 acres
Cobble Park4 acres
Hanging Rock Park2 acres
Taconic Chapel Park1 acres
Bicentennial Park1 acres
Civil War Memorial1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
15,353 conserved acres
42% of Salisbury’s land. Who manages Salisbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,597 ac
Private owners4,145 ac
National Park Service2,373 ac
Other state land1,038 ac
Town or city466 ac
State conservation417 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government11 ac
Unknown Easement · 8,421 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 4,524 acConservation Easement · 3,328 acPrivate Conservation · 3,208 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 1,977 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,674 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 229 of 311 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Unknown | Not recorded | 5,300 | Unknown |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 3,219 | Open |
| Mt. Riga Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 356 | Closed |
| Mount Riga State Park Scenic Reserve State Park | Not recorded | 333 | Unknown |
| Edith Scoville Memorial Park Local Park | Not recorded | 269 | Unknown |
| Camp Sloane Private Conservation | Not recorded | 251 | Unknown |
| M. Taylor LLC Conservation Easement Private Conservation | Not recorded | 179 | Unknown |
| Beeslick Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 149 | Unknown |
| Hamlet Hill Unknown | Not recorded | 137 | Unknown |
| East Twin Lake Water Access State Recreation Area | Not recorded | 93 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
71 places to go in Salisbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Salisbury
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Salisbury
Rock Climbing Wall
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Salisbury
Great Falls Reservoir Access
DirectionsWaterfalls in Salisbury
Riga Falls
DirectionsSages Ravine Brook Falls
DirectionsPlus 12 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Salisbury
Bear MountainIn Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
DirectionsBilly's ViewIn Hamlet Hill
DirectionsConnecticut High Point
DirectionsRand's View
Directionspartial viewIn Yoakum Preserve
DirectionsPlus 17 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Salisbury
Round Mountain2,280 ft elevation
DirectionsGridley Mountain2,192 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Peak1,929 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Riga1,752 ft elevation · In Yoakum Preserve
DirectionsLion's Head1,742 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
DirectionsThorpe Mountain1,699 ft elevation
DirectionsBird Peak1,565 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Prospect1,453 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
Directions16 more peaks
Indian Mountain1,385 ft elevation
DirectionsToms Hill1,355 ft elevation
DirectionsRaccoon Hill1,263 ft elevation · In Hamlet Hill
DirectionsBunker Hill1,198 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
DirectionsBrook Hill1,184 ft elevation
DirectionsMiles Mountain1,168 ft elevation
DirectionsWetauwanchu Mountain1,096 ft elevation
DirectionsForge Mountain1,070 ft elevation
DirectionsGallows Hill1,037 ft elevation
DirectionsCave Hill1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsFink Hill988 ft elevation
DirectionsBabes Hill971 ft elevation
DirectionsFalls Mountain945 ft elevation
DirectionsGay Woods Hill945 ft elevation
DirectionsReed Hill830 ft elevation
DirectionsTurnip TopIn Edith Scoville Memorial Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Salisbury
Ball Brook Group Camping AreaIn Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
DirectionsBelter's CampsitesIn Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
DirectionsYmca Camp Slone (Indian Mountain Road)
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 33 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miHorses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 35.8 mi
Appalachian Trail9.1 mi
Wolf Hill Loop Trail2.3 mi
Rail Trail1.3 mi
Pope Preserve loop trail1.1 mi
Summit Trail0.8 mi
Mount Frissell Trail0.7 mi
Yoakum Preserve Access Trail0.7 mi
Rail-trail0.5 mi
Lower Trail0.4 mi
Lower Sages Ravine Trail0.4 mi
3 more trails
Farnum Fields Trail
0.2 miTwin Oaks Field Trail
0.2 miShort Loop Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Bauer PondBeeslick PondBickel DamBingham PondBissels PondpondDeep LakeFactory PondFisher PondGrassland PondGreat Falls ReservoirreservoirIsraels PondLake TavolanLakeville Reservoir Number 1reservoirLakeville Reservoir Number 2reservoirLorenzo PondpondOld Fordge Mill PondOre Hill Pit PondOre Hill PondOx Bow PondoxbowRiga LakelakeSalisbury Cutlery Pond No 1Salisbury Cutlery Pond No 3Salisbury School PondSouth PondStillwater Farm PondSwans PondTaylor PondWashinee LakelakeWashining LakelakeWononpakook LakeWononskopomuc LakelakeHousatonic RiverSalmon Creek
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
57Tennis
7Baseball
7Soccer
3Multi-sport
2Football
1Field hockey
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 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.
Scoville Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1982
About itScoville PowerhouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itLime Rock Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itJohn C. Coffing HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itLakeville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996
About itSalisbury Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997
About itBridge #2305Structure · listed 2007
About itLime Rock Park Race TrackDistrict · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Salisbury: May and August
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Salisbury →
Next door
Salisbury and its neighbors
Salisbury has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sharon65 miSalisbury56 miSheffield36 miMount Washington36 miCanaan26 miNorth East21 miNorth Canaan11 miFalls Village0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | 42% | 1.0 | 514 | 45% | A |
| Canaan | 51% | 0.8 | 1,205 | 60% | A |
| North Canaan | 21% | 0.5 | 4 | 30% | B− |
| Falls Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sharon | 37% | 1.1 | 434 | 32% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Salisbury
Where can I hike in Salisbury?
The longest trail networks: Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space, 16.4 miles; Yoakum Preserve, 2.7 miles; Hamlet Hill, 2.2 miles; Edith Scoville Memorial Park, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salisbury is conserved land?
42% 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 Salisbury’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Dark Hollow Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Salisbury?
46,606 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salisbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,058 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #33 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 Salisbury 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 →