Lye Brook Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
4,521 acres5.1 mi of trail
Lye Brook TrailAppalachian Trail;Long TrailLye Brook Falls Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Equinox House · Photo: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller) · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Manchester
33% of Manchester’s land is conserved: 8,976 acres
1,623 acres are parks and preserves, 362 per 1,000 residents. 55 miles of mapped trail cross Manchester, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lye Brook Wilderness (5.1 mi), Green Mountain National Forest (2.4 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #7 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
8,976 acres · of 42.0 sq mi of land
Trails
55 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,623 ac
362 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 0.2 mi paths
Highest peak
3,835 ft
Equinox Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Manchester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild33% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.Room to roam362 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 86% of U.S. towns.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manchester is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #7 of 71 in Vermont. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manchester’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (55 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land362 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,623 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home43% 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 91%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 91%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Manchester’s 33% is ahead of 94% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Lye Brook Wilderness, with 5.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
5,486 acres2.4 mi of trail
Lye Brook TrailLower Beech RidgeAppalachian Trail;Long Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Factory Point Town Green
Park
1 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
8,976 conserved acres
33% of Manchester’s land. Who manages Manchester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service5,534 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4,224 ac
Other state land682 ac
Joint103 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)73 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
Not recorded1,531 ac
National Forest · 5,534 acPrivate Conservation · 3,167 acConservation Easement · 1,851 acUnknown Easement · 849 acAgricultural Easement · 337 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,342 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 69 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 | 5,534 | Open |
| Equinox Highlands Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,502 | Open |
| Mount Equinox Highlands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,427 | Closed |
| Equinox Matrix Block Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 231 | Closed |
| Pew Estate Site Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 198 | Closed |
| Dana Thompson Recreational Park Local Park | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
| Dufresne Dam Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Open |
| Bullhead Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Open |
| Manchester Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| Battenkill Streambank State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 40 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in Manchester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Manchester
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Manchester
1 public pool without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Manchester
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Manchester
Manchester Dog ParkHours: dawn-dusk
DirectionsFishing spots in Manchester
Dufresne Dam Access Area
DirectionsDufresne Pond Access Area
DirectionsWaterfalls in Manchester
Lye Brook FallsIn Lye Brook Wilderness
DirectionsPlus 8 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Manchester
Monastery Overlook
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Manchester
Equinox Mountain3,835 ft elevation
DirectionsLookout Rock3,661 ft elevation
DirectionsMother Myrick Mountain3,353 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Equinox3,310 ft elevation
DirectionsTable Rock2,159 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Rock2,008 ft elevation · In Lye Brook Wilderness
DirectionsDeer Knoll1,585 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Manchester
Manchester Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
20 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miHorses · 3.9 miUnpaved · 15.4 mi
Lye Brook Trail3.3 mi
Summit Trail (Blue)2.6 mi
Historic Marble Rail Trail2.3 mi
Mount Bluff Traili (White)1.6 mi
Maidenhair Trail (Orange)1.5 mi
PEW trail1.3 mi
Trillium Trail (Green)1.2 mi
Meadow Trail1.1 mi
SVAC Loop (Orange Black Stripe)0.7 mi
Pond Loop (White Green)0.7 mi
10 more trails
Maple Trail
0.7 miAppalachian Trail;Long Trail
0.6 miTrout Lily Trail (White Purple)
0.5 miFlatlander's Pass
0.5 miRed Gate Trail
0.5 miLye Brook Falls Trail
0.4 miFarm Loop
0.4 miSnicket (Orange Black Stripe)
0.4 miLower Beech Ridge
0.4 miRobin's Look Out (Green Black Bar)
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
23Tennis
7Soccer
6Basketball
3Baseball
3Multi-sport
2Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Equinox HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itHildeneBuilding · listed 1977
About itEquinox House Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itManchester Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itAmos Lawrence HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itZera Hard HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itYester HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itWait BlockBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Manchester: May, August 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Manchester →
Next door
Manchester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 33% | 1.3 | 362 | 43% | A |
| Winhall | 61% | 1.4 | 1,247 | 25% | A |
| Dorset | 32% | 1.6 | 1,006 | 24% | A |
| Sunderland | 78% | 0.7 | 101 | 21% | A− |
| Sandgate | — 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 Manchester
Where can I hike in Manchester?
The longest trail networks: Lye Brook Wilderness, 5.1 miles; Green Mountain National Forest, 2.4 miles; Factory Point Town Green, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manchester 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 Manchester’s trails?
Lye Brook Wilderness and Green Mountain National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manchester?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Manchester?
94,228 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manchester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,299 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Manchester 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 →