Milton Town Forest
Managed by Town of Milton
489 acres6.9 mi of trail
Ridgeline TrailPond Circuit TrailTown Forest Access TrailPond View Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Sharonaz39 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Milton
Milton has 2,257 acres of parks, 210 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Milton’s land is conserved, about 4,541 acres. The biggest trail networks: Milton Town Forest (6.9 mi), Eagle Mountain Natural Area (2.3 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #40 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
4,541 acres · of 51.6 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,257 ac
210 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Highest peak
906 ft
Cobble Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Milton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Milton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Milton is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #40 of 71 in Vermont. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Milton’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4BPark land210 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,257 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home30% 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 75%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 44%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Milton’s 14% is ahead of 49% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 39% of them.
Water is 15% of Milton’s area (9 of 61 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Milton Town Forest, with 6.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eagle Mountain Natural Area
Managed by Lake Champlain Land Trust
229 acres2.3 mi of trail
Hoyt Lookout TrailWildflower LoopMoutaintop TrailMossly Ledge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Bombardier Park West
Managed by Milton Recreation
28 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beeman Preserve
Nature preserve
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Milton Town Forest489 acres · 6.9 mi of trail · Town of Milton
DirectionsEagle Mountain Natural Area229 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Lake Champlain Land Trust
DirectionsBombardier Park West28 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Milton Recreation
DirectionsBombardier Park East9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeeman Preserve16 acres
River Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,541 conserved acres
14% of Milton’s land. Water is left out: Milton has 51.6 square miles of land and 9.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Milton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,277 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)422 ac
State conservation422 ac
State fish & wildlife175 ac
Town or city138 ac
Not recorded2,343 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,309 acState Conservation Area · 1,775 acAgricultural Easement · 1,434 acUnknown Easement · 554 acLocal Resource Management Area · 310 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,059 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 17 of 74 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbar Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,547 | Open |
| Milton Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 310 | Unknown |
| Lower Lamoille River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 228 | Open |
| Bombardier Park Local Park | Town or city | 138 | Open |
| Checkerberry Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 123 | Unknown |
| Bove Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Quarry Land Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
| Sandbar State Park State Park | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Van Everest Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| Town of Milton Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Milton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Milton
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Milton
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Milton
Milton Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Milton
Van Everest Fishing Access
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Milton
Sand Bar Access Area
DirectionsPlus 1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Milton
Hoyt LookoutIn Eagle Mountain Natural Area
DirectionsMansfield ViewIn Milton Town Forest
DirectionsPond ViewIn Milton Town Forest
DirectionsSand Bar Causeway
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Milton
Cobble Hill906 ft elevation
DirectionsArrowhead Mountain902 ft elevation
DirectionsEagle Mountain551 ft elevation · In Eagle Mountain Natural Area
DirectionsDiamond Hill525 ft elevation
DirectionsFox Hill377 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Milton
Milton Disc Golf Eagle CourseMilton Recreation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Milton
Milton Community GardenMilton Recreation
DirectionsTrails & water
21 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.7 miUnpaved · 7.6 mi
Ridgeline Trail2.9 mi
Pond Circuit Trail1.8 mi
Bombardier (Red)1.4 mi
Lamoille River Walk1.2 mi
Hoyt Lookout Trail0.8 mi
Wildflower Loop0.8 mi
Town Forest Access Trail0.8 mi
Bombardier (Yellow)0.6 mi
Bombardier (Blue)0.5 mi
Pond View Loop Trail0.5 mi
11 more trails
Moutaintop Trail
0.3 miCarriage Barn Link
0.2 miBombardier (Orange)
0.2 miMossly Ledge Trail
0.2 miOld Orchard Trail
0.2 miDry Bypass
0.1 miPeterson Dam Portage
0.1 miBombardier (Purple)
0.1 miBombardier (Green)
0.1 miViewpoint Link
0.1 miLink
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Pickleball
4Tennis
3Equestrian
2Softball
1Basketball
1Golf
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Milton: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Milton →
Next door
Milton and its neighbors
Milton has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | 14% | 0.5 | 210 | 30% | A− |
| South Hero | 19% | 0.6 | 124 | 29% | A− |
| Colchester | 14% | 1.6 | 74 | 46% | A |
| Grand Isle | 9% | 0.3 | 94 | 24% | B |
| Westford | 5% | 0.4 | 19 | 7% | B− |
| Georgia | 9% | 0.2 | 18 | 21% | B− |
| Fairfax | 11% | 0.2 | 33 | 23% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Milton
Where can I hike in Milton?
The longest trail networks: Milton Town Forest, 6.9 miles; Eagle Mountain Natural Area, 2.3 miles; Bombardier Park West, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Milton is conserved land?
14% 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 Milton’s trails?
Milton Town Forest and Eagle Mountain Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Milton?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Milton?
12,601 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Milton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,511 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Milton have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 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 Milton 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 →