Wilton Town Forest
Nature preserve
186 acres6.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Noroton · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilton
Wilton has 41 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Wilton Town Forest (6.5 mi), Weir Preserve (2.8 mi), Leonard J. Bradley Park (2.7 mi). 8% of Wilton’s land is conserved, about 1,368 acres. 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #133 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,368 acres · of 26.8 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
197 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
Highest peak
604 ft
Bald Hill
Lakes & rivers
45
What kind of outdoors town is Wilton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilton is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #133 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 Wilton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (197 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home40% 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 66%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 14%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Wilton’s 8% is ahead of 15% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% 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 Wilton Town Forest, with 6.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Weir Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
105 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Leonard J. Bradley Park
Nature preserve
81 acres2.7 mi of trail
Yellow TrailRed TrailOrange TrailGreen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gregg Preserve
Nature preserve
109 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Spectacle Swamp
Nature preserve
82 acres1.7 mi of trail
Orange Trail Access
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Cherry Lane Park
Nature preserve
48 acres1.1 mi of trail
Orange trailOrange TrailBlue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Weir Farm National Historic Site
Park
33 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 30 parks & preserves
Wilton Town Forest186 acres · 6.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWeir Preserve105 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsLeonard J. Bradley Park81 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsGregg Preserve109 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSpectacle Swamp82 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCherry Lane Park48 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWeir Farm National Historic Site33 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSchenck's Island16 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsLovers Lane Open Space36 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWeir Preserve Easement24 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsWeston-Wilton Forest Reserve63 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Aspetuck Land Trust
Merwin Meadows Bath House18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCranbury Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Merwin Meadows8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard C. Wheeler Nature Preserve5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wilton Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsMather Street Open Space69 acres
Vista Road Open Space39 acres
Wild Duck Road Open Space16 acres
Linden Tree Road Open Space9 acres
Kellogg Drive Open Space9 acres
Borglum Road Park4 acres
Wren Thicket Open Space4 acres
Old Lantern Drive Open Space4 acres
Westport Road Open Space4 acres
Banks Drive Open Space3 acres
Quail Ridge Open Space3 acres
Millstone Road Open Space3 acres
Honey Hill Road Open Space2 acres
Whipstick Road Open Space1 acres · Town of Ridgefield
Stirrup Place Open Space1 acres
Who protects it
1,368 conserved acres
8% of Wilton’s land. Who manages Wilton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city140 ac
National Park Service31 ac
Private owners4 ac
Not recorded1,213 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 612 acPrivate Conservation · 469 acLocal Park · 140 acState Other or Unknown · 122 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 31 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 161 of 172 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,108 | Unknown |
| Norwalk River Flood Control Site 7B State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 84 | Unknown |
| Bradley Park Local Park | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Allen'S Meadow Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Weir Farm National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 31 | Restricted |
| Schenck'S Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Merwin Meadows Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| Horseshoe Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| NORWALK CITY Land Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Unknown |
| Little League Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Wilton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wilton
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Wilton
CascadeIn Wilton Town Forest
DirectionsSheep FallsIn Wilton Town Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Wilton
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wilton
Bald Hill604 ft elevation
DirectionsUpper Bald Hill561 ft elevation
DirectionsComstock Knoll538 ft elevation
DirectionsHoney Hill469 ft elevation
DirectionsBelden Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsChestnut Hill338 ft elevation
DirectionsSunset Hill312 ft elevation
DirectionsSugar Loaf Hill272 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Zion Hill269 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 45 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miUnpaved · 12.4 mi
Norwalk River Valley Trail3.8 mi
Red Trail0.7 mi
Orange Trail0.7 mi
Yellow Trail0.5 mi
Orange trail0.5 mi
Blue Trail0.3 mi
NRVT to Buckingham Ridge0.1 mi
Green Trail0.1 mi
Blue / Green Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Barker PondBelden PondCannon PondCedar Road PondCherry Lane PondpondClover PondCountry Club PondpondCyrgalis PondpondDomenicks PondDudley PondEdwards PondpondField PondpondHanson PondHendersons PondHill Road PondHuckleberry PondKents PondKingdom PondLandscape PondMullens PondNew Canaan PondNewtown PondNod Hill PondOld Grumman PondOld PondpondOld South Norwalk ReservoirreservoirOlmsted Hill PondPond Road PondPopes PondreservoirRidgefield PondreservoirRock LakereservoirSeeley PondShallow PondSheffield PondSier Hill PondpondSkunk PondSouth Norwalk ReservoirreservoirSpruce PondThayers PondTown PondpondTrails End PondUpper Nod PondVista PondNorwalk RiverParting Brook
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Norwalk River Valley TrailBike route
2.9 miCourts & fields
11Baseball
5Soccer
4Tennis
1Basketball
1Football
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.
Sloan-Raymond-Fitch HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itMarvin TavernBuilding · listed 1984
About itDavid Lambert HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itWilton Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itCannondale Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itHurlbutt Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Wilton: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 48 | 60 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wilton →
Next door
Wilton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Redding71 miRidgefield57 miWilton41 miWeston33 miNorwalk14 miWestport13 miNew Canaan11 miGeorgetown0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilton | 8% | 1.5 | 11 | 40% | B+ |
| New Canaan | 6% | 0.5 | 20 | 54% | B |
| Ridgefield | 18% | 1.6 | 93 | 97% | A+ |
| Weston | 13% | 1.7 | 19 | 66% | A− |
| Norwalk | 7% | 0.6 | 7 | 88% | B+ |
| Georgetown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Redding | 30% | 2.3 | 154 | 66% | A+ |
| Westport | 7% | 0.7 | 26 | 72% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wilton
Where can I hike in Wilton?
The longest trail networks: Wilton Town Forest, 6.5 miles; Weir Preserve, 2.8 miles; Leonard J. Bradley Park, 2.7 miles; Gregg Preserve, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilton is conserved land?
8% 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 Wilton’s trails?
Wilton Town Forest and Weir Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wilton?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Norwalk River Valley Trail.
Is there public land near Wilton?
19,142 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 197 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wilton have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #133 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 Wilton 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 →