Birdseye Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
1,723 acres5.6 mi of trail
Six Mile LoopBirdseye mountain
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jared C. Benedict · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Ira
Few parks or trails are on the map in Ira
The biggest trail networks: Birdseye Wildlife Management Area (5.6 mi). 19% of Ira’s land is conserved, about 2,652 acres. 932 acres are parks and preserves, 2,445 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
19%
2,652 acres · of 22.3 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
932 ac
2,445 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,717 ft
Herrick Mountain
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 Birdseye WMA, with 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,652 conserved acres
19% of Ira’s land. Who manages Ira’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,049 ac
Not recorded931 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,720 acState Conservation Area · 623 acAgricultural Easement · 329 acLocal Resource Management Area · 308 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,721 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 16 of 37 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Mountain Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 317 | Open |
| West Rutland Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 308 | Unknown |
| Blueberry Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 306 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Ira
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Ira
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Ira
Herrick Mountain2,717 ft elevation
DirectionsBird Mountain2,192 ft elevation · In Birdseye Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 10.3 mi
Six Mile Loop1.4 mi
Birdseye mountain0.2 mi
When to get out
The best walking months in Ira: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 39 | 52 | 65 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ira →
Next door
Ira and its neighbors
Ira has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ira | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| West Rutland | 14% | 0.5 | 297 | 18% | B+ |
| Castleton | 9% | 0.3 | 461 | 28% | B+ |
| Poultney | 8% | 0.5 | 187 | 44% | A− |
| Clarendon | 2% | 0.2 | 20 | 9% | C |
| Middletown Springs | — 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 Ira
Where can I hike in Ira?
The longest trail networks: Birdseye Wildlife Management Area, 5.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Ira’s trails?
Birdseye Wildlife Management Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ira?
37,721 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ira or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,327 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ira 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 →