Coolidge State Forest
Nature preserve
4,166 acres13.5 mi of trail
Black Swamp TrailShrewsbury Peak TrailCatamount TrailCatamount Side Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brown Covered Bridge · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury has 3,221 acres of parks, 2,604 for every 1,000 residents
37% of Shrewsbury’s land is conserved, about 12,019 acres. 49 miles of mapped trail cross Shrewsbury, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Coolidge State Forest (13.5 mi), Green Mountain National Forest (12.7 mi), Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area (6.2 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
37%
12,019 acres · of 50.1 sq mi of land
Trails
49 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,221 ac
2,604 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,681 ft
Shrewsbury Peak
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Shrewsbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam2,604 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild37% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 79% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shrewsbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shrewsbury is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shrewsbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land37% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (49 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land2,604 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,221 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home29% 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 conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Shrewsbury’s 37% is ahead of 96% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% 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 Coolidge State Forest, with 13.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,118 acres12.7 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail;Long TrailAppalachian Trail; Long TrailCatamount Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,632 acres6.2 mi of trail
Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Jim Jeffords State Forest
Nature preserve
893 acres3.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Shrewsbury Town Forest
Nature preserve
99 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Coolidge State Forest4,166 acres · 13.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGreen Mountain National Forest2,118 acres · 12.7 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsPlymsbury Wildlife Management Area1,632 acres · 6.2 mi of trail
Jim Jeffords State Forest893 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
Shrewsbury Town Forest99 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Town Farm Wildlife Management Area528 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsClarendon Gorge Wildlife Management Area56 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
12,019 conserved acres
37% of Shrewsbury’s land. Who manages Shrewsbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,465 ac
National Park Service2,820 ac
U.S. Forest Service2,814 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service527 ac
State fish & wildlife428 ac
Other state land314 ac
State parks309 ac
Conservation Easement · 5,108 acState Resource Management Area · 3,814 acNational Forest · 2,120 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 2,109 acAgricultural Easement · 1,898 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,370 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 55 of 151 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coolidge State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,903 | Open |
| Green Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 2,120 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 2,109 | Open |
| Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,674 | Open |
| Jim Jeffords State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 900 | Open |
| Otter Creek Streambank (Clarendon Gorge Wildlife Management Area) State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Warner Swimming Hole Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Aitken State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 11 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Shrewsbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Shrewsbury
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Peak3,681 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsSmith Peak3,199 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsBissell Hill2,785 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsJockey Hill2,641 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsIngalls Hill2,631 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsRussell Hill2,530 ft elevation · In Coolidge State Forest
DirectionsSaddle Mountain2,480 ft elevation · In Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsWilcox Hill2,067 ft elevation
Directions5 more peaks
Comtois Hill1,998 ft elevation
DirectionsCopperas Hill1,791 ft elevation
DirectionsWilmouth Hill1,775 ft elevation
DirectionsGranite Hill1,732 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Hill1,673 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 21.3 mi
Appalachian Trail;Long Trail6.6 mi
Appalachian Trail; Long Trail4.1 mi
Catamount Trail2.1 mi
Black Swamp Trail2.1 mi
Shrewsbury Peak Trail1.9 mi
Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area Trail1.6 mi
Catamount Side Trail0.7 mi
Salt Ash Mountain Trail0.1 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
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Shrewsbury: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 38 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Shrewsbury →
Next door
Shrewsbury and its neighbors
Shrewsbury has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury | 37% | 1.0 | 2,604 | 29% | A |
| Mount Holly | 30% | 0.4 | 123 | 4% | B+ |
| Wallingford | 34% | 0.9 | 23 | 25% | A− |
| Plymouth | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clarendon | 2% | 0.2 | 20 | 9% | C |
| Mendon | 61% | 1.2 | 2,472 | 34% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shrewsbury
Where can I hike in Shrewsbury?
The longest trail networks: Coolidge State Forest, 13.5 miles; Green Mountain National Forest, 12.7 miles; Plymsbury Wildlife Management Area, 6.2 miles; Jim Jeffords State Forest, 3.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shrewsbury is conserved land?
37% 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 Shrewsbury’s trails?
Coolidge State Forest and Green Mountain National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Shrewsbury?
76,250 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shrewsbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,380 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shrewsbury have?
Ahead of 88% 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 Shrewsbury 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 →