Mount Mansfield State Forest
Managed by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
5,093 acres7.2 mi of trail
Long TrailHell Brook TrailSterling Pond TrailLower Rumrunner+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Gates Farm Covered Bridge · Photo: Srbergeron at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cambridge
22% of Cambridge’s land is conserved: 9,013 acres
The biggest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest (7.2 mi), Krusch Nature Preserve (1.1 mi). 131 acres are parks and preserves, 35 per 1,000 residents. 26% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #50 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
9,013 acres · of 62.9 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
131 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.5 mi
9.5 mi paths
Highest peak
3,911 ft
Bear Head
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Cambridge?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cambridge is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #50 of 71 in Vermont. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cambridge’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4BPark land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (131 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home26% 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 69%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 30%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Cambridge’s 22% is ahead of 81% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% 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 Mount Mansfield State Forest, with 7.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Krusch Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
50 acres1.1 mi of trail
Main Nature TrailSand Blown TrailHidden Wetland Spur Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cambridge State Forest
Nature preserve
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mount Mansfield Natural Area
Nature preserve
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
9,013 conserved acres
22% of Cambridge’s land. Who manages Cambridge’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,344 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)447 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government367 ac
State fish & wildlife96 ac
State conservation46 ac
Other state land2 ac
Not recorded5,609 ac
State Resource Management Area · 5,144 acConservation Easement · 3,336 acAgricultural Easement · 2,659 acPrivate Conservation · 458 acUnknown Easement · 307 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,404 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 147 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 5,119 | Open |
| Brewster Uplands Conservation Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 458 | Restricted |
| Cambridge State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 25 | Open |
| Jeffersonville Park Local Park | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
| Dorothy Smith Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
| Mount Mansfield Natural Area Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
20 places to go in Cambridge
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cambridge
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Cambridge
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Cambridge
Elephants HeadIn Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Cambridge
Bear Head3,911 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsSpruce Peak3,323 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsBuker Hill1,585 ft elevation
DirectionsBartlett Hill1,385 ft elevation
DirectionsWarner Hill1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsWarner Hill1,142 ft elevation
DirectionsPutnam Hill1,125 ft elevation
DirectionsSeeley Hill728 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Cambridge
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Cambridge
Brewster River CampgroundFee
DirectionsDisc golf in Cambridge
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 18.4 mi
Long Trail2.3 mi
Alden Bryan Brewster River Trail2.2 mi
Loggers' Loop Trail1.1 mi
Hell Brook Trail1.0 mi
West Farm Trail0.9 mi
Sterling Pond Trail0.9 mi
Pond Loop Trail0.9 mi
Lower Rumrunner0.8 mi
Main Nature Trail0.8 mi
Snuffy's0.5 mi
12 more trails
Rumrunner
0.5 miElephant's Head Loop Trail
0.4 miCanyon Road Trail
0.3 miHell Brook Cut Off
0.3 miLower Liftline
0.2 miSand Blown Trail
0.2 miLink
0.2 miJunction Hill Trail
0.1 miBrewster River Connector Trail
0.1 miAdams Apple Trail
0.1 miElephant’s Head Spur
0.1 miMulcahy's Link
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
3Soccer
2Baseball
1Basketball
1Hockey rinks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Grist Mill Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itPoland Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itGates Farm Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itCambridge MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1981
About itJeffersonville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itJeffersonville BridgeStructure · listed 1991
About itCambridge Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cambridge: 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 38 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 56 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cambridge →
Next door
Cambridge and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stowe179 miMorristown51 miUnderhill47 miCambridge25 miJohnson24 miFairfax8.9 miWaterville2.2 miFletcher2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 22% | 0.4 | 35 | 26% | B+ |
| Fletcher | 5% | 0.1 | 111 | 3% | C+ |
| Fairfax | 11% | 0.2 | 33 | 23% | B |
| Underhill | 20% | 0.9 | 8 | 19% | B |
| Johnson | 26% | 0.5 | 197 | 57% | A |
| Morristown | 21% | 1.0 | 104 | 41% | A |
| Stowe | 46% | 2.5 | 437 | 29% | A |
| Waterville | — 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 Cambridge
Where can I hike in Cambridge?
The longest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest, 7.2 miles; Krusch Nature Preserve, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cambridge is conserved land?
22% 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 Cambridge’s trails?
Mount Mansfield State Forest and Krusch Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cambridge?
9.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cambridge?
47,732 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cambridge or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,297 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 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 Cambridge 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 →