Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge
Park
274 acres4.1 mi of trail
Byington TrailThorp TrailVarney Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge Parking
Mount Philo State Park · Photo: LunchboxLarry · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Charlotte
Charlotte has 866 acres of parks, 221 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Charlotte’s land is conserved, about 5,710 acres. The biggest trail networks: Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge (4.1 mi), Mount Philo State Park (3 mi), Pease Mountain Natural Area (1.8 mi). 20 miles of mapped trail cross Charlotte, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #33 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,710 acres · of 41.3 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
866 ac
221 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.9 mi
2.4 mi paths
Highest peak
988 ft
Mount Philo
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Charlotte?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Charlotte have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Charlotte is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #33 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 Charlotte’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4BPark land221 acres of park per 1,000 residents (866 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 80%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 54%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Charlotte’s 22% is ahead of 79% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 40% of them.
Water is 18% of Charlotte’s area (9 of 50 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.
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 Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount Philo State Park
Nature preserve
233 acres3 mi of trail
House Rock TrailDevil's Chair TrailSummit TrailOld Carriage Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pease Mountain Natural Area
Managed by University of Vermont
177 acres1.8 mi of trail
Upper LoopLower LoopRock Outcrop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Williams Woods Natural Area
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
56 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Raven Ridge Natural Area
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
65 acres0.6 mi of trail
Raven Ridge Trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge274 acres · 4.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMount Philo State Park233 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsPease Mountain Natural Area177 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · University of Vermont
Williams Woods Natural Area56 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsRaven Ridge Natural Area65 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Charlotte Town Beach16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLewis Creek Hill Natural Area123 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Who protects it
5,710 conserved acres
22% of Charlotte’s land. Water is left out: Charlotte has 41.3 square miles of land and 9.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Charlotte’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits8,589 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,352 ac
State conservation813 ac
Other state land124 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government72 ac
Town or city68 ac
State fish & wildlife60 ac
Conservation Easement · 5,176 acAgricultural Easement · 5,138 acPrivate Conservation · 395 acLocal Other or Unknown · 343 acUnknown Easement · 279 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,593 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 132 of 296 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Philo State Park State Park | Not recorded | 232 | Open |
| Pease Mountain Natural Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 180 | Unknown |
| Thompson's Point Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 169 | Unknown |
| Lewis Creek Hill Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Closed |
| Vermont Land Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 100 | Closed |
| Plouffe Lane Natural Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 81 | Unknown |
| Charlotte Southeast Hill Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 60 | Closed |
| Raven Ridge Natural Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 60 | Open |
| Williams Woods Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 56 | Open |
| Williams Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 56 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Charlotte
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Charlotte
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Charlotte
Converse Bay Boat Ramp2
DirectionsScenic views in Charlotte
Quinlans Covered Bridge
DirectionsSequin Covered Bridge
DirectionsPlus 8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Charlotte
Mount Philo988 ft elevation · In Mount Philo State Park
DirectionsPease Mountain814 ft elevation · In Pease Mountain Natural Area
DirectionsMutton Hill666 ft elevation
DirectionsSpruce Ridge453 ft elevation
DirectionsBarber Hill384 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Charlotte
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Charlotte
7 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Charlotte
2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miUnpaved · 8.9 mi
Byington Trail1.2 mi
Upper Loop1.0 mi
Charlotte Village Loop Trail0.8 mi
Raven Ridge Trail0.6 mi
Lower Loop0.6 mi
House Rock Trail0.4 mi
Entrance Trail0.4 mi
Devil's Chair Trail0.4 mi
Summit Trail0.4 mi
Thorp Trail0.4 mi
6 more trails
Varney Trail
0.3 miOld Carriage Trail
0.3 miRock Outcrop Trail
0.2 miNorth Vista Trail
0.1 miAt Rabbit Rock Trail
0.1 miCampground Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
6.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Tennis
2Pickleball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Holmes Creek Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itSeguin Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itQuinlan's Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itPorter Screen CompanyBuilding · listed 1979
About itMcNeil HomesteadBuilding · listed 1982
About itTavern on Mutton HillBuilding · listed 1982
About itCharlotte Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itMount Philo State ParkDistrict · listed 2001
About itSloop Island Canal BoatSite · listed 2022
About itClemmons FarmBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Charlotte: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Charlotte →
Next door
Charlotte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 22% | 0.5 | 221 | 34% | A− |
| Shelburne | 27% | 1.9 | 113 | 28% | A |
| Hinesburg | 20% | 1.6 | 480 | 26% | A |
| Monkton | 12% | 0.3 | 150 | 12% | B |
| Ferrisburgh | 39% | 0.4 | 1,084 | 36% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Charlotte
Where can I hike in Charlotte?
The longest trail networks: Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge, 4.1 miles; Mount Philo State Park, 3 miles; Pease Mountain Natural Area, 1.8 miles; Williams Woods Natural Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Charlotte 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 Charlotte’s trails?
Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge and Mount Philo State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Charlotte?
8.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of off-road paths and 6.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Charlotte?
20,264 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlotte or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 907 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Charlotte have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #33 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 Charlotte 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 →