Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve
Nature preserve
84 acres1.3 mi of trail
White TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Methodist Episcopal Church of Isle La Motte · Photo: Mfwills · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Isle La Motte
Few parks or trails are on the map in Isle La Motte
The biggest trail networks: Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve (1.3 mi). 7% of Isle La Motte’s land is conserved, about 337 acres. 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Isle La Motte, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
7%
337 acres · of 7.9 sq mi of land
Trails
2.1 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
243 ft
The Head
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 Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fisk Quarry Preserve
Nature preserve
7 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Who protects it
337 conserved acres
7% of Isle La Motte’s land. Water is left out: Isle La Motte has 7.9 square miles of land and 10.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Isle La Motte’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)242 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits157 ac
Joint100 ac
State conservation57 ac
Not recorded87 ac
Conservation Easement · 399 acUnknown Easement · 100 acAgricultural Easement · 58 acPrivate Conservation · 56 acState Other or Unknown · 31 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 250 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont Land Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 56 | Closed |
| Holcomb Bay Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| Stoney Point Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Isle La Motte
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Isle La Motte
Holcomb Bay Access Area
DirectionsPeaks in Isle La Motte
The Head243 ft elevation
DirectionsStanhope Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
White Trail1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.3 mi
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
3Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Isle La Motte: 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 39 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Isle La Motte →
Next door
Isle La Motte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle La Motte | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alburgh | 29% | 0.6 | 918 | 13% | A− |
| North Hero | — 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 Isle La Motte
Where can I hike in Isle La Motte?
The longest trail networks: Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve, 1.3 miles; Fisk Quarry Preserve, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Isle La Motte’s trails?
Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve and Fisk Quarry Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Isle La Motte?
8,877 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Isle La Motte or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 31 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Isle La Motte 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 →