Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Van Buren has 35 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
7 acres are parks and preserves, 3.6 per 1,000 residents. 42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Van Buren’s land is conserved, about 1,073 acres.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Van Buren?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Van Buren have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Van Buren is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Champlain Street Park
1,073 conserved acres
5% of Van Buren’s land. Who manages Van Buren’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 893 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 8 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor Aroostook Rail Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 350 | Closed |
4 places to go in Van Buren
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
3 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.
The best walking months in Van Buren: May, August and 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 23 | 34 | 46 | 62 | 71 | 76 | 74 | 66 | 52 | 38 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Van Buren →
Van Buren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren | 5% | 1.0 | 4 | 42% | B− |
| Grand Isle | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hamlin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cyr plantation | — 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 Van Buren
How much of Van Buren is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 6% for a Maine town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Van Buren’s trails?
Van Buren Public Park and Champlain Street Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Van Buren?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Van Buren?
91 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Van Buren or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Van Buren have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Van Buren neighbors.
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 →