Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
29,208 acres56 mi of trail
Long TrailChittenden Brook TrailLefferts Pond TrailCatamount Trail - Side Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: The original uploader was Redjar at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Chittenden
More than half of Chittenden’s land is conserved: 73%
73% of Chittenden’s land is conserved, about 34,152 acres. 2,392 acres are parks and preserves, 1,815 per 1,000 residents. 80 miles of mapped trail cross Chittenden, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
73%
34,152 acres · of 72.7 sq mi of land
Trails
80 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,392 ac
1,815 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,514 ft
Farr Peak
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Chittenden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chittenden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chittenden is ahead of 90% 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 Chittenden’s overall grade.
Conserved land73% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (80 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,815 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,392 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% 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 90%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Chittenden’s 73% is ahead of 100% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 56 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount Carmel State Forest
Nature preserve
263 acres1.6 mi of trail
Long TrailNew Boston Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Proctor Town Forest
Managed by Town of Proctor
1,518 acres1.5 mi of trail
Long Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chittenden Town Forest
Managed by Town of Chittenden
385 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Green Mountain National Forest29,208 acres · 56 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsMount Carmel State Forest263 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Proctor Town Forest1,518 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Town of Proctor
Chittenden Town Forest385 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Chittenden
Pittsford Town Forest289 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Brandon Town Forest199 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Who protects it
34,152 conserved acres
73% of Chittenden’s land. Who manages Chittenden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service31,250 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits446 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service75 ac
State fish & wildlife3 ac
Not recorded2,646 ac
National Forest · 31,250 acLocal Resource Management Area · 2,384 acState Resource Management Area · 263 acConservation Easement · 236 acAgricultural Easement · 212 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 222 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 23 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 | 31,250 | Open |
| Proctor Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,523 | Unknown |
| Chittenden Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 374 | Unknown |
| Pittsford Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 288 | Unknown |
| Mt. Carmel State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 263 | Open |
| Brandon Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 199 | Unknown |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 75 | Restricted |
Things to do
26 places to go in Chittenden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chittenden
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Chittenden
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Chittenden
Boat Ramp
DirectionsFishing spots in Chittenden
Chittenden Reservoir Access Area
DirectionsPeaks in Chittenden
Farr Peak3,514 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsBloodroot Mountain3,481 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsMount Carmel3,369 ft elevation · In Mount Carmel State Forest
DirectionsRound Mountain3,340 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsCorporation Mountain3,130 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsThe Darning Needle2,887 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsMount Nickwaket2,736 ft elevation · In Pittsford Town Forest
DirectionsDaves Peak2,671 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
Directions5 more peaks
The Cape2,621 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsLead Mine Mountain2,618 ft elevation
DirectionsChaffee Mountain2,562 ft elevation
DirectionsThousand Acre Hill2,388 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsKnights Hill2,123 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Chittenden
Chittenden Brook CampgroundIn Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsPlus 8 campgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miHorses · 0.8 miUnpaved · 19.3 mi
Long Trail14.4 mi
Lefferts Pond Trail2.0 mi
Chittenden Brook Trail2.0 mi
Catamount Trail - Side Trail1.5 mi
Legal Trail 11.2 mi
Round Robin Trail1.0 mi
New Boston Trail0.9 mi
Hayes Brook Trail0.8 mi
Wetmore Gap Trail0.4 mi
Bloodroot Mountain Trail0.3 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
2Baseball
2Soccer
2Basketball
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Chittenden: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 71 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 54 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Chittenden →
Next door
Chittenden and its neighbors
Chittenden has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chittenden80 miKillington73 miGoshen30 miPittsford21 miRochester20 miBrandon15 miRutland13 miPittsfield8.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden | 73% | 1.1 | 1,815 | 30% | A |
| Rochester | 42% | 0.3 | 501 | 37% | A− |
| Pittsfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pittsford | 19% | 0.5 | 781 | 38% | A− |
| Brandon | 13% | 0.4 | 197 | 46% | A− |
| Killington | 33% | 1.5 | 224 | 10% | A |
| Rutland | 3% | 0.7 | 87 | 32% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chittenden
Where can I hike in Chittenden?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 56 miles; Mount Carmel State Forest, 1.6 miles; Proctor Town Forest, 1.5 miles; Chittenden Town Forest, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chittenden is conserved land?
73% 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 Chittenden’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Mount Carmel State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Chittenden?
112,897 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chittenden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 33,857 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chittenden have?
Ahead of 90% 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 Chittenden 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 →