Mount Mansfield State Forest
Managed by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
4,235 acres14.4 mi of trail
Long TrailBeaver Meadow Trail15B15/100 C+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Summer Parking
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Morristown
21% of Morristown’s land is conserved: 6,981 acres
596 acres are parks and preserves, 104 per 1,000 residents. 51 miles of mapped trail cross Morristown, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest (14.4 mi), Morristown Town Forest (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #24 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
6,981 acres · of 50.8 sq mi of land
Trails
51 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
596 ac
104 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.9 mi
5.9 mi paths
Highest peak
3,632 ft
Madonna Peak
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Morristown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild21% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.Room to roam104 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 80% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Morristown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Morristown is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #24 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 Morristown’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (51 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land104 acres of park per 1,000 residents (596 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home41% 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 86%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 67%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Morristown’s 21% is ahead of 77% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% 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 Mount Mansfield State Forest, with 14.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Morristown Town Forest
Nature preserve
322 acres2.6 mi of trail
15/100 C
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Winter Parking
Oxbow Riverfront Park
Park
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Oxbow Walking Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
C.C. Putnam State Forest
Nature preserve
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Mount Mansfield State Forest4,235 acres · 14.4 mi of trail · Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
DirectionsMorristown Town Forest322 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbow Riverfront Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsC.C. Putnam State Forest1 acres
Sterling Forest1 acres
Elmore State Park1 acres · Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
Hyde Park Baseball Fields1 acres · Hyde Park
Memorial Park1 acres · Morristown
DirectionsWho protects it
6,981 conserved acres
21% of Morristown’s land. Who manages Morristown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,123 ac
Other state land2,892 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)129 ac
State fish & wildlife110 ac
State parks2 ac
Not recorded2,351 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,211 acConservation Easement · 1,772 acAgricultural Easement · 1,509 acLocal Resource Management Area · 580 acPrivate Conservation · 229 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,784 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 37 of 125 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 4,180 | Open |
| Morristown Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 580 | Unknown |
| New England Forestry Foundation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 229 | Unknown |
| Morristown Water and Light Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 81 | Unknown |
| Lamoille River Streambank State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 61 | Open |
| Molly Bog Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 31 | Unknown |
| Morristown Bog State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 31 | Open |
| Elmore State Park State Park | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| C.C. Putnam State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Morristown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Morristown
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Morristown
Morrisville Dog Play Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Morristown
Cadys falls
DirectionsScenic views in Morristown
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Morristown
Madonna Peak3,632 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsWhiteface Mountain3,612 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsMorse Mountain3,376 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsWhite Rocks2,972 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsCole Hill1,558 ft elevation
DirectionsRoss Hill1,345 ft elevation
DirectionsTerrill Hill1,158 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Morristown
Mountain View Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 18.9 miUnpaved · 11.2 mi
Long Trail2.5 mi
15/100 C2.4 mi
15B1.9 mi
Tom G's1.9 mi
Left Side1.9 mi
Beaver Meadow Trail1.8 mi
Rapids1.3 mi
Tower Climb1.2 mi
Beaver Meadow Loop1.1 mi
Catamount Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Upper Chilcoot
0.9 miLower Ridge Trail
0.9 miClimb Up
0.7 miWhiteface Trail
0.6 miLedges
0.6 miChilcoot Pass Trail
0.6 miEntrance Trail
0.6 miOxbow Walking Path
0.5 miMulcahy's Link
0.5 miBench Cut
0.4 miSteep Down
0.3 miMain Vain
0.3 miMan Down
0.3 miSniper
0.2 miRock'n Roll
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
MTB Cadys FallsBike route
26.8 miCourts & fields
3Multi-sport
3Baseball
3Soccer
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Morristown: 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 29 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 55 | 43 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Morristown →
Next door
Morristown and its neighbors
Morristown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morristown | 21% | 1.0 | 104 | 41% | A |
| Hyde Park | 21% | 0.4 | 159 | 36% | A− |
| Stowe | 46% | 2.5 | 437 | 29% | A |
| Johnson | 26% | 0.5 | 197 | 57% | A |
| Elmore | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hyde Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cambridge | 22% | 0.4 | 35 | 26% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Morristown
Where can I hike in Morristown?
The longest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest, 14.4 miles; Morristown Town Forest, 2.6 miles; Oxbow Riverfront Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Morristown is conserved land?
21% 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 Morristown’s trails?
Mount Mansfield State Forest and Morristown Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Morristown?
5.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: MTB Cadys Falls.
Is there public land near Morristown?
65,535 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Morristown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,949 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Morristown have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #24 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 Morristown 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 →