Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
4,157 acres13.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: gplefka · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Arlington
25% of Arlington’s land is conserved: 6,646 acres
66 miles of mapped trail cross Arlington, 1.6 per square mile of land. 153 acres are parks and preserves, 59 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest (13.1 mi), Arlington Town Forest (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
6,646 acres · of 42.0 sq mi of land
Trails
66 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
153 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,087 ft
Grass Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Arlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Arlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Arlington is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Arlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (66 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (153 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home24% of residents within a half mile of a park · VT 38% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Arlington’s 25% is ahead of 85% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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 Green Mountain National Forest, with 13.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arlington Town Forest
Nature preserve
93 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Arlington Recreation Park
Park
35 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Waterworks Bridge Parking Lot
Who protects it
6,646 conserved acres
25% of Arlington’s land. Who manages Arlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service4,156 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3,948 ac
State fish & wildlife144 ac
Not recorded360 ac
National Forest · 4,156 acConservation Easement · 2,109 acAgricultural Easement · 1,942 acState Resource Management Area · 209 acLocal Resource Management Area · 90 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,129 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 41 of 93 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 4,156 | Open |
| Arlington State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 209 | Open |
| Arlington Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 90 | Unknown |
| Arlington Recreation Park Local Park | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Fisher-Scott Memorial Pines Natural Area State Park | Not recorded | 22 | Open |
| Battenkill Streambank State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
Things to do
21 places to go in Arlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Arlington
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Arlington
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Arlington
Red Mill on the Batten Kill
DirectionsFishing spots in Arlington
Wagon Wheel Access Area
DirectionsScenic views in Arlington
Cedar Rock
DirectionsPlus 7 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Arlington
Grass Mountain3,087 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsSpruce Peak3,015 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsRed Mountain2,838 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Ball2,746 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsBig Spruce Mountain2,339 ft elevation
DirectionsBuck Hill1,634 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Arlington
Camping on the Battenkill
DirectionsHowell's Camping areaFee
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Arlington
Yellow Barn FarmHours: sunrise-sunset · Town of Arlington
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.1 miUnpaved · 34.0 mi
Tory Lane North0.4 mi
Battenkill Trail0.2 mi
Cedar Rock Trail0.2 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
3Baseball
3Soccer
1Basketball
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Arlington: May and July 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 39 | 52 | 64 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Arlington →
Next door
Arlington and its neighbors
Arlington has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 25% | 1.6 | 59 | 24% | A− |
| Sunderland | 78% | 0.7 | 101 | 21% | A− |
| Shaftsbury | 12% | 0.3 | 68 | 22% | B+ |
| Sandgate | — 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 Arlington
Where can I hike in Arlington?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 13.1 miles; Arlington Town Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Arlington is conserved land?
25% of its land, against a typical 14% for a Vermont town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Arlington’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Arlington Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Arlington?
70,117 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Arlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,553 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Arlington have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Arlington 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 →