Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
3,735 acres21.6 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailAppalachian Trail; Long TrailOhly RollerVelomont - Pesky Cairn Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Gifford Woods State Park · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Killington
33% of Killington’s land is conserved: 10,036 acres
176 acres are parks and preserves, 224 per 1,000 residents. 73 miles of mapped trail cross Killington, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest (21.6 mi), Coolidge State Forest (10.8 mi), Giffords Woods State Park (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
10,036 acres · of 47.3 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
176 ac
224 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
4,242 ft
Killington Peak
Lakes & rivers
6
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Killington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Killington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Killington is ahead of 85% 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 Killington’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land224 acres of park per 1,000 residents (176 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home10% 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 85%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Killington’s 33% is ahead of 93% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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 Green Mountain National Forest, with 21.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Coolidge State Forest
Nature preserve
2,840 acres10.8 mi of trail
Bucklin TrailAppalachian Trail; Long TrailKillington A Trail (Flume)Peak Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Giffords Woods State Park
Managed by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
115 acres1.8 mi of trail
Kent Brook TrailAppalachian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rutland City Forest
Nature preserve
36 acres0.3 mi of trail
Bucklin Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
10,036 conserved acres
33% of Killington’s land. Who manages Killington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service4,314 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4,075 ac
National Park Service3,709 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government409 ac
Other state land4 ac
State fish & wildlife3 ac
Not recorded2,172 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,267 acNational Forest · 3,925 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 2,564 acState Resource Management Area · 1,708 acAgricultural Easement · 1,467 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,311 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 50 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 | 3,925 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 2,564 | Open |
| Coolidge State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,708 | Open |
| Kent Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 127 | Open |
| Gifford Woods State Park State Park | Not recorded | 108 | Open |
| Ottauchequee River Streambank State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 69 | Open |
| Les Newell Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Sherburne Fire District Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Colton Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Open |
| Rutland City Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Killington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Killington
Kent Pond Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Killington
Irene FallsIn Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsThundering Brook FallsIn Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Killington
9 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Killington
Killington Peak4,242 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsPico Peak3,957 ft elevation
DirectionsSkye Peak3,799 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsRamshead Peak3,609 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsSnowdon Peak3,593 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsBear Mountain Peak3,261 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsEast Mountain2,779 ft elevation
DirectionsDeer Leap Mountain2,776 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
Directions13 more peaks
Shaw Hill2,717 ft elevation
DirectionsQuimby Mountain2,602 ft elevation
DirectionsDeer Leap Rock2,526 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsCherry Knoll2,224 ft elevation
DirectionsTaylors Pinnacle2,113 ft elevation
DirectionsDoubleday Mountain2,057 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Hill1,880 ft elevation
DirectionsHadley Hill1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Pinnacle1,703 ft elevation
DirectionsSpruce Knoll1,302 ft elevation
DirectionsBear MountainIn Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsLittle Pico
DirectionsShagback Mountain
DirectionsCampgrounds in Killington
2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
21 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.6 miUnpaved · 23.9 mi
Appalachian Trail8.0 mi
Appalachian Trail; Long Trail4.4 mi
Bucklin Trail3.1 mi
Sherburne Pass Trail2.7 mi
Ohly Roller1.2 mi
Deer Leap Trail (Blue)1.2 mi
Velomont - Pesky Cairn Trail1.1 mi
Killington A Trail (Flume)1.1 mi
Kent Brook Trail1.0 mi
Mind Eraser0.8 mi
11 more trails
Paca's Path
0.6 miSherburne Pass Trail (Blue)
0.5 miPond View
0.5 miPico Link
0.3 miPeak Loop
0.2 miOld Route 4
0.2 miLong Trail
0.2 miAppalachian Trail;Long Trail
0.2 miPeak Walkway
0.1 miDeer Leap Overlook Trail (Blue)
0.1 miChurchill Scott Shelter Trail
0.1 miLakes & 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
17Tennis
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Killington: May and July 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 71 | 75 | 74 | 67 | 54 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Killington →
Next door
Killington and its neighbors
Killington has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killington | 33% | 1.5 | 224 | 10% | A |
| Mendon | 61% | 1.2 | 2,472 | 34% | A |
| Bridgewater | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chittenden | 73% | 1.1 | 1,815 | 30% | A |
| Pittsfield | — 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 Killington
Where can I hike in Killington?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 21.6 miles; Coolidge State Forest, 10.8 miles; Giffords Woods State Park, 1.8 miles; Rutland City Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Killington is conserved land?
33% 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 Killington’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Coolidge State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Killington?
106,590 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Killington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,711 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Killington have?
Ahead of 85% 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 Killington 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 →