Stephen Martin Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
44 acres
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
Rockingham Meetinghouse · Photo: HABS · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockingham
Rockingham has 302 acres of parks, 63 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Rockingham’s land is conserved, about 2,938 acres. 8.4 miles of mapped trail cross Rockingham, 0.2 per square mile of land. 71% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #44 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,938 acres · of 41.4 sq mi of land
Trails
8.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
302 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,568 ft
Berry Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rockingham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockingham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockingham is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #44 of 71 in Vermont. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockingham’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (302 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home71% of residents within a half mile of a park · VT 38% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 74%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 39%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Rockingham’s 11% is ahead of 36% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 7% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve
Nature preserve
35 acres0.2 mi of trail
Bemis Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Herricks Cove Picnic Area and Boat Launch
Park
26 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
2,938 conserved acres
11% of Rockingham’s land. Who manages Rockingham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,139 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)255 ac
Town or city10 ac
Other state land3 ac
Not recorded1,842 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,149 acConservation Easement · 1,049 acAgricultural Easement · 928 acUnknown Easement · 421 acState Resource Management Area · 326 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,086 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 21 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellow Falls Village Watershed Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,121 | Unknown |
| J.J. Dorand SF State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 326 | Open |
| Vermont Land Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 116 | Closed |
| Missing Link Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 111 | Open |
| Bellow Falls Recreation Area Local Park | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Saxtons River Village Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 40 | Unknown |
| Town of Rockingham Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Unknown |
| Camp Wood Lot State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| New England Power Corporation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Rockingham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rockingham
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Rockingham
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Rockingham
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Rockingham
Worrall Covered Bridge
DirectionsPeaks in Rockingham
Berry Hill1,568 ft elevation
DirectionsWiley Hill1,407 ft elevation
DirectionsHitchcock Hill1,381 ft elevation
DirectionsSignal Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsParker Hill1,211 ft elevation
DirectionsParadise Hill1,188 ft elevation
DirectionsJones Hill1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsRockingham Hill1,152 ft elevation
Directions5 more peaks
Shepard Hill1,096 ft elevation
DirectionsDarby Hill1,089 ft elevation
DirectionsCoburn Hill971 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill850 ft elevation
DirectionsColley Hill801 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Bemis Hill Trail0.7 mi
Bellows Falls Riverfront Trail0.5 mi
Labrynth Trail0.1 mi
Th320.1 mi
Lakes & 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.
Courts & fields
8Tennis
5Soccer
4Basketball
4Baseball
2Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →24 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 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bartonsville Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1973
About itWorrall Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1973
About itHall Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1973
About itBellows Falls Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itMiss Bellows Falls DinerBuilding · listed 1983
About itMoore and Thompson Paper Mill ComplexDistrict · listed 1984
About itSaxtons River Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itAdams Gristmill WarehouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itBellows Falls Co-operative Creamery ComplexBuilding · listed 1990
About itBellows Falls Times BuildingBuilding · listed 1990
About itGas Station at Bridge and Island StreetsBuilding · listed 1990
About it12 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rockingham: May and July to 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 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rockingham →
Next door
Rockingham and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Charlestown33 miWalpole30 miWestminster26 miGrafton19 miSpringfield14 miRockingham8.4 miBellows Falls0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham | 11% | 0.2 | 63 | 71% | B+ |
| Bellows Falls | 15% | 0.5 | 22 | 95% | A |
| Westminster | 13% | 0.6 | 99 | 11% | B+ |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.3 | 108 | 59% | B+ |
| Grafton | — 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 Rockingham
Where can I hike in Rockingham?
The longest trail networks: Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve, 0.2 miles; Herricks Cove Picnic Area and Boat Launch, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockingham is conserved land?
11% 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 Rockingham’s trails?
Stephen Martin Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary and Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rockingham?
15,383 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockingham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 654 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockingham have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #44 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 Rockingham 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 →