Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
5,479 acres2.6 mi of trail
Beaver Meadow TrailNatl Forest Road 81
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Rania al-Bahara · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bristol
30% of Bristol’s land is conserved: 7,756 acres
194 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest (2.6 mi), Deer Leap Natural Area (0.5 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Bristol, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #27 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
7,756 acres · of 40.5 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
194 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,257 ft
South Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Bristol?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bristol is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #27 of 71 in Vermont. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bristol’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (194 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home53% 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 83%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 63%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Bristol’s 30% is ahead of 93% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 49% 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 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Deer Leap Natural Area
Nature preserve
109 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
3,549 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Winona Recreation Area
Park
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Green Mountain National Forest5,479 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Deer Leap Natural Area109 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBristol Cliffs Wilderness3,549 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Winona Recreation Area39 acres
Eagle Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
7,756 conserved acres
30% of Bristol’s land. Who manages Bristol’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service5,498 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3,035 ac
State fish & wildlife479 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)409 ac
State conservation333 ac
Other state land23 ac
Not recorded342 ac
National Forest · 5,498 acConservation Easement · 2,105 acAgricultural Easement · 1,423 acUnknown Easement · 633 acState Other or Unknown · 212 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,876 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 64 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 | 5,498 | Open |
| Bristol Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 212 | Open |
| Deer Leap Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 99 | Closed |
| Deer Leap Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Not recorded | 25 | Unknown |
| Bartlett Falls Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 25 | Unknown |
| VT (Vermont) Trade Lands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Closed |
| Colby Hill Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
Things to do
8 places to go in Bristol
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bristol
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Bristol
Bartlett Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Bristol
Bristol Ledges
DirectionsPeaks in Bristol
South Mountain2,257 ft elevation · In Bristol Cliffs Wilderness
DirectionsDeer Leap Mountain1,841 ft elevation · In Deer Leap Natural Area
DirectionsThe Cobble869 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Bristol
Green Mountain Family Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 4.5 mi
Beaver Meadow Trail1.4 mi
Bristol Train Network BTN1.0 mi
Natl Forest Road 810.6 mi
Town Highway 290.3 mi
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
6Baseball
1Soccer
1Skate park
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Bristol Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bristol: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Bristol →
Next door
Bristol 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 30% | 0.6 | 51 | 53% | A− |
| New Haven | 15% | 0.3 | 1 | 5% | C |
| Lincoln | 43% | 0.8 | 385 | 14% | A− |
| Middlebury | 28% | 2.0 | 40 | 72% | A |
| Starksboro | 15% | 0.4 | 1,260 | 27% | B+ |
| Ripton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Monkton | 12% | 0.3 | 150 | 12% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bristol
Where can I hike in Bristol?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 2.6 miles; Deer Leap Natural Area, 0.5 miles; Bristol Cliffs Wilderness, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bristol is conserved land?
30% 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 Bristol’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Deer Leap Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bristol?
60,330 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bristol or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,633 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Bristol 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 →