Moosalamoo National Recreation Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
87 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brandon
Brandon has 810 acres of parks, 197 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Brandon’s land is conserved, about 3,437 acres. The biggest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area (0.9 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #38 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,437 acres · of 39.7 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
810 ac
197 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,299 ft
Stiles Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Brandon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brandon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brandon is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #38 of 71 in Vermont. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brandon’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4BPark land197 acres of park per 1,000 residents (810 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home46% 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 77%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 47%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Brandon’s 13% is ahead of 46% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 26% 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 Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brandon Town Forest
Nature preserve
285 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
High Pond Natural Area
Nature preserve
177 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
87 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Moosalamoo National Recreation Area87 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsBrandon Town Forest285 acres
High Pond Natural Area177 acres
Green Mountain National Forest87 acres · United States Forest Service
Estabrook Park12 acres
Seminary Park1 acres
DirectionsFountain Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,437 conserved acres
13% of Brandon’s land. Who manages Brandon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,560 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)2,360 ac
U.S. Forest Service87 ac
Other state land2 ac
Not recorded788 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,697 acAgricultural Easement · 919 acPrivate Conservation · 591 acLocal Resource Management Area · 302 acState Conservation Area · 200 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,521 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 35 of 98 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 285 | Unknown |
| Brandon Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 200 | Open |
| High Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 194 | Closed |
| High Pond Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 176 | Open |
| Green Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 87 | Open |
| Otter Creek Swamps Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 80 | Open |
| Brandon Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Closed |
| Scanlon Bog Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Closed |
| Goshen Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Scanlon Bog Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Brandon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brandon
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Brandon
Sanderson Covered Bridge
DirectionsPeaks in Brandon
Stiles Hill1,299 ft elevation
DirectionsBirch Hill1,217 ft elevation
DirectionsCastle Hill1,112 ft elevation
DirectionsLion Hill846 ft elevation
DirectionsSeager Hill797 ft elevation
DirectionsHawk Hill689 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Brandon
Smoke Rise Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
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
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Brandon: May 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Brandon →
Next door
Brandon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon | 13% | 0.4 | 197 | 46% | A− |
| Pittsford | 19% | 0.5 | 781 | 38% | A− |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Leicester | 30% | 0.9 | 108 | 15% | A− |
| Chittenden | 73% | 1.1 | 1,815 | 30% | A |
| Sudbury | — 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 Brandon
Where can I hike in Brandon?
The longest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brandon is conserved land?
13% 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 Brandon’s trails?
Moosalamoo National Recreation Area and Brandon Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brandon?
82,205 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brandon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 812 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brandon have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #38 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Brandon 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 →