Moosalamoo National Recreation Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,679 acres17.3 mi of trail
Silver Lake Loop TrailMinnie Baker TrailGoshen Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Minnie Baker Trail-headWebsite ↗
Photo: redjar · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Leicester
30% of Leicester’s land is conserved: 4,057 acres
111 acres are parks and preserves, 108 per 1,000 residents. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Leicester, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area (17.3 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
4,057 acres · of 20.8 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
111 ac
108 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,552 ft
Oak Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Leicester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild30% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.Room to roam108 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 77% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leicester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leicester is ahead of 80% 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 Leicester’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land108 acres of park per 1,000 residents (111 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home15% 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 80%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Leicester’s 30% is ahead of 93% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% 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 Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, with 17.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,679 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,057 conserved acres
30% of Leicester’s land. Who manages Leicester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service2,679 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,571 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)724 ac
Joint56 ac
Not recorded223 ac
National Forest · 2,679 acConservation Easement · 1,631 acAgricultural Easement · 714 acPrivate Conservation · 149 acState Conservation Area · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,155 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 63 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 | 2,679 | Open |
| New England Forestry Foundation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 125 | Unknown |
| Brandon Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Otter Creek Swamps Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 24 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Leicester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Leicester
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Leicester
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Leicester
Oak Hill1,552 ft elevation · In Moosalamoo National Recreation Area
DirectionsOak Hill1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pleasant892 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Leicester
Country Village Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.7 miUnpaved · 9.5 mi
Silver Lake Loop Trail1.4 mi
Minnie Baker Trail1.0 mi
Goshen 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.
MTB MoosalamooBike route
9.9 miCourts & fields
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Leicester: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Leicester →
Next door
Leicester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 30% | 0.9 | 108 | 15% | A− |
| Whiting | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brandon | 13% | 0.4 | 197 | 46% | A− |
| Salisbury | 37% | 0.9 | 56 | 4% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Leicester
Where can I hike in Leicester?
The longest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, 17.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leicester is conserved land?
30% 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 Leicester’s trails?
Moosalamoo National Recreation Area and Green Mountain National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Leicester?
67,947 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leicester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 111 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Leicester have?
Ahead of 80% 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 Leicester 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 →