Black Mountain Natural Area
Nature preserve
797 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Malber · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dummerston
Dummerston has 1,065 acres of parks, 509 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Dummerston’s land is conserved, about 3,460 acres. The biggest trail networks: Black Mountain Natural Area (3.9 mi), Deer Run Nature Preserve (2.1 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
3,460 acres · of 30.7 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,065 ac
509 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,640 ft
Dummerston Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dummerston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dummerston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dummerston is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. 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 Dummerston’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4BPark land509 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,065 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 76%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Dummerston’s 18% is ahead of 65% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% 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 Black Mountain Natural Area, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Deer Run Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
244 acres2.1 mi of trail
Deer Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Canoe Brook Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
123 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
3,460 conserved acres
18% of Dummerston’s land. Who manages Dummerston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,688 ac
Other state land495 ac
State fish & wildlife279 ac
State conservation192 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)168 ac
Not recorded792 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,748 acAgricultural Easement · 1,728 acPrivate Conservation · 1,292 acUnknown Easement · 547 acLocal Other or Unknown · 271 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,167 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 32 of 112 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Mountain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 798 | Closed |
| Black Mountain Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 297 | Open |
| Pleasant Valley Watershed Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 220 | Unknown |
| Landmark Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 196 | Unknown |
| Prospect Hill Pasture Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Sunset Lake Watershed Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Putney Landing Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Dutton Pines State Park State Park | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Brattleboro Watershed Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
Things to do
7 places to go in Dummerston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Dummerston
Dummerston
DirectionsPutney Landing
DirectionsPeaks in Dummerston
Dummerston Hill1,640 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Mountain1,204 ft elevation · In Black Mountain Natural Area
DirectionsWickopee Hill1,155 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill1,138 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Dummerston
KOA - Brattleboro Northampton
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 4.1 mi
Deer Run Trail1.7 mi
West River Trail0.7 mi
Prospect Hill Trail0.5 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.
West River TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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 Dummerston: May to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Dummerston →
Next door
Dummerston and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chesterfield62 miWestmoreland53 miBrattleboro43 miPutney30 miMarlboro13 miDummerston12 miNewfane3.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dummerston | 18% | 0.4 | 509 | 30% | A− |
| Brattleboro | 16% | 1.3 | 65 | 84% | A |
| Putney | 8% | 1.1 | 29 | 16% | B+ |
| Newfane | 7% | 0.1 | 283 | 28% | B− |
| Marlboro | 15% | 0.3 | 448 | 3% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dummerston
Where can I hike in Dummerston?
The longest trail networks: Black Mountain Natural Area, 3.9 miles; Deer Run Nature Preserve, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dummerston is conserved land?
18% 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 Dummerston’s trails?
Black Mountain Natural Area and Deer Run Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dummerston?
28,908 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dummerston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,084 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dummerston have?
Ahead of 76% 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 Dummerston 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 →