Shelburne Bay Park
Managed by Town of Shelburne
103 acres3.4 mi of trail
Walking trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Fancy-cats-are-happy-cats · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Shelburne
27% of Shelburne’s land is conserved: 4,170 acres
47 miles of mapped trail cross Shelburne, 1.9 per square mile of land. 898 acres are parks and preserves, 113 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Shelburne Bay Park (3.4 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #14 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
4,170 acres · of 24.3 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
898 ac
113 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
8.8 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
361 ft
Lone Tree Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Shelburne?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild27% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.A trail town1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.Room to roam113 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shelburne have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shelburne is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Shelburne’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (47 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land113 acres of park per 1,000 residents (898 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home28% 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 88%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 81%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Shelburne’s 27% is ahead of 89% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 83% of them.
Water is 44% of Shelburne’s area (19 of 43 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 15%.
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 Shelburne Bay Park, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
4,170 conserved acres
27% of Shelburne’s land. Water is left out: Shelburne has 24.3 square miles of land and 19.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Shelburne’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits7,084 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)212 ac
State conservation152 ac
Other state land87 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government58 ac
Joint56 ac
Town or city5 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,651 acAgricultural Easement · 2,034 acLocal Park · 1,391 acPrivate Conservation · 801 acResearch or Educational Area · 531 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,609 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 53 of 147 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Farms Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,384 | Open |
| H. Laurence Achilles UVM Natural Area Research or Educational Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 662 | Unknown |
| Laplatte River Natural Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 231 | Closed |
| LaPlatte River Marsh Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 203 | Open |
| Shelburne Pond Natural Area State Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 165 | Open |
| Shelburne Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 118 | Closed |
| H. Laurence Achilles Natural Area at Shelburne Pond Private Conservation | Not recorded | 99 | Open |
| Upper Laplatte River Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 56 | Open |
| Shelburne Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| The Nature Conservancy Restriction Conservation Easement | Land trusts & nonprofits | 26 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Shelburne
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shelburne
Shelburne Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Shelburne
Davis Park
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Shelburne
Shelburne Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Shelburne
Shelburne Bay Boat Ramp
DirectionsShelburne Pond Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Shelburne
LaPlatte River Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Shelburne
LaPlatte River Falls
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Shelburne
Lone Tree Hill361 ft elevation
DirectionsPheasant Hill282 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.6 miUnpaved · 19.3 mi
LaPlatte Nature Park Trail6.9 mi
H. Laurence Achilles Trail1.3 mi
Ti Haul Recreation Path1.1 mi
Upper LaPlatte River trail1.1 mi
Walking trail1.1 mi
LaPlatte River Marsh Nature Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
24Tennis
5Basketball
5Baseball
1Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shelburne: 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shelburne →
Next door
Shelburne and its neighbors
Shelburne has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne | 27% | 1.9 | 113 | 28% | A |
| South Burlington | 8% | 2.5 | 22 | 85% | A |
| Charlotte | 22% | 0.5 | 221 | 34% | A− |
| Hinesburg | 20% | 1.6 | 480 | 26% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shelburne
Where can I hike in Shelburne?
The longest trail networks: Shelburne Bay Park, 3.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shelburne is conserved land?
27% 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 Shelburne’s trails?
Shelburne Bay Park and Shelburne Town Beach don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shelburne?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.8 of painted or protected lanes, 1.7 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Shelburne?
22,201 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shelburne or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,129 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shelburne have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Shelburne 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 →