Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
12,532 acres8.1 mi of trail
Long TrailForest Service Route 113
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rochester
42% of Rochester’s land is conserved: 15,186 acres
696 acres are parks and preserves, 501 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest (8.1 mi), Joseph Battell Wilderness (4.1 mi). 37% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
15,186 acres · of 56.8 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
696 ac
501 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
20 mi paths
Highest peak
3,343 ft
Gillespie Peak
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Rochester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rochester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rochester is ahead of 81% 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 Rochester’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land501 acres of park per 1,000 residents (696 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% 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 81%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Rochester’s 42% is ahead of 99% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 20% 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 Green Mountain National Forest, with 8.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Joseph Battell Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,954 acres4.1 mi of trail
Long TrailGreat Cliff spur
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
15,186 conserved acres
42% of Rochester’s land. Who manages Rochester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service12,815 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,812 ac
State conservation277 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)165 ac
State fish & wildlife7 ac
Other state land3 ac
Not recorded883 ac
National Forest · 12,520 acConservation Easement · 1,868 acAgricultural Easement · 1,688 acState Conservation Area · 619 acPrivate Conservation · 158 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 30 of 75 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 | 12,520 | Open |
| Riley Bostwick Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 384 | Open |
| Rochester Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 235 | Open |
| New England Forestry Foundation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 158 | Unknown |
| Rochester Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 69 | Unknown |
| Rochester School Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| Mt. Cushman State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Rochester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Rochester
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Rochester
Gillespie Peak3,343 ft elevation · In Joseph Battell Wilderness
DirectionsMount Horrid3,215 ft elevation · In Joseph Battell Wilderness
DirectionsBear Mountain2,986 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsTwin Peaks2,896 ft elevation
DirectionsRochester Mountain2,848 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Cushman2,717 ft elevation
DirectionsHawk Mountain2,552 ft elevation · In Joseph Battell Wilderness
DirectionsMount Reeder2,293 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Austin Hill2,264 ft elevation
DirectionsRogers Peak2,205 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Pico Mountain2,175 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsDeer Mountain2,103 ft elevation
DirectionsJones Mountain2,044 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsAlexander Hill1,841 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rochester
Lions Club Picnic Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Rochester
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.5 miUnpaved · 7.6 mi
Long Trail3.3 mi
Town Highway 671.0 mi
Town Highway 251.0 mi
Gilead Bridge0.7 mi
Twin Peaks Trail0.3 mi
Forest Service Route 1130.3 mi
Great Cliff spur0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Ezekiel Emerson FarmBuilding · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rochester: 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) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Rochester →
Next door
Rochester and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chittenden80 miGoshen30 miHancock30 miGranville22 miRochester20 miBraintree17 miPittsfield8.2 miBethel4.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 42% | 0.3 | 501 | 37% | A− |
| Pittsfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hancock | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chittenden | 73% | 1.1 | 1,815 | 30% | A |
| Braintree | 13% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Bethel | 6% | 0.1 | 290 | 43% | B |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Granville | — 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 Rochester
Where can I hike in Rochester?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 8.1 miles; Joseph Battell Wilderness, 4.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rochester is conserved land?
42% 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 Rochester’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Joseph Battell Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rochester?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rochester?
99,924 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rochester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rochester have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Rochester 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 →