Moosalamoo National Recreation Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
4,526 acres18.6 mi of trail
Widow's Clearing TrailMoose LoopWater Tower Sundown TrailMoosalamoo Area Ski Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: redjar · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Ripton
More than half of Ripton’s land is conserved: 74%
74% of Ripton’s land is conserved, about 23,395 acres. The biggest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area (18.6 mi), Breadloaf Wilderness (14.2 mi), Green Mountain National Forest (13.7 mi). 57 miles of mapped trail cross Ripton, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
74%
23,395 acres · of 49.3 sq mi of land
Trails
57 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,822 ft
Bread Loaf Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
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 18.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Breadloaf Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
8,980 acres14.2 mi of trail
Long TrailEmily Proctor TrailSkylight Pond Trail WestCooley Glen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
21,942 acres13.7 mi of trail
Smith ROW - USFSAbbey Pond TrailSkylight Pond Trail West
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Joseph Battell Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
562 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
23,395 conserved acres
74% of Ripton’s land. Who manages Ripton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service21,950 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,896 ac
National Forest · 21,950 acConservation Easement · 1,451 acUnknown Easement · 1,445 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,445 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 118 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 | 21,950 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Ripton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Ripton
Bread Loaf Mountain3,822 ft elevation · In Breadloaf Wilderness
DirectionsMount Wilson3,763 ft elevation · In Breadloaf Wilderness
DirectionsMount Roosevelt3,520 ft elevation · In Breadloaf Wilderness
DirectionsBattell Mountain3,422 ft elevation · In Breadloaf Wilderness
DirectionsBoyce Mountain3,245 ft elevation · In Breadloaf Wilderness
DirectionsRobert Frost Mountain2,411 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsCobb Hill2,300 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Ripton
Sparks Landing Primitive CampsiteIn Green Mountain National Forest · USFS
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.9 miHorses · 2.7 miUnpaved · 15.7 mi
Long Trail5.4 mi
Emily Proctor Trail2.9 mi
Widow's Clearing Trail2.8 mi
Skylight Pond Trail West2.3 mi
Moose Loop1.9 mi
Cooley Glen Trail1.5 mi
Water Tower Sundown Trail1.1 mi
Moosalamoo Area Ski Trail1.1 mi
Robert Frost Interpretive Trail1.0 mi
Hill Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
Clark Brook Trail
0.9 miWater Tower North Star Trail
0.7 miWillow Run
0.6 miWater Tower Afternoon Delight Trail
0.5 miBlue Heron Run
0.5 miSmith ROW - USFS
0.4 miWater Tower Crosswalk trail
0.4 miGoshen Brook Trail
0.4 miAbbey Pond Trail
0.4 miWater Tower Trepidation Trail
0.3 miA.O.A.
0.3 miShannie's Loop
0.3 miBlackberry Run
0.3 miNettles Trail
0.3 miSkylight Pond Trail East
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.
MTB MoosalamooBike route
3.9 miCourts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ripton: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 71 | 75 | 74 | 67 | 54 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ripton →
Next door
Ripton and its neighbors
Ripton has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middlebury79 miRipton57 miLincoln36 miGoshen30 miHancock30 miSalisbury25 miBristol24 miGranville22 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Salisbury | 37% | 0.9 | 56 | 4% | A− |
| Lincoln | 43% | 0.8 | 385 | 14% | A− |
| Middlebury | 28% | 2.0 | 40 | 72% | A |
| Granville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hancock | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bristol | 30% | 0.6 | 51 | 53% | A− |
| Goshen | — 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 Ripton
Where can I hike in Ripton?
The longest trail networks: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, 18.6 miles; Breadloaf Wilderness, 14.2 miles; Green Mountain National Forest, 13.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Ripton’s trails?
Moosalamoo National Recreation Area and Breadloaf Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ripton?
80,896 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ripton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,899 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ripton 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 →