Red Rocks Park
Managed by South Burlington Recreation & Parks
104 acres3.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in South Burlington
South Burlington has 41 miles of mapped trails, 2.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Red Rocks Park (3.2 mi), Wheeler Nature Park (3 mi), Centennial Woods Natural Area (1.2 mi). 8% of South Burlington’s land is conserved, about 815 acres. 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #13 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
815 acres · of 16.4 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
465 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
40 mi
12 mi lanes · 28 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
6 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is South Burlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Burlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Burlington is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #13 of 71 in Vermont. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Burlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (465 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home85% 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 89%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 83%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so South Burlington’s 8% is ahead of 23% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% of them.
Water is 47% of South Burlington’s area (14 of 31 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Red Rocks Park, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wheeler Nature Park
Managed by South Burlington Recreation & Parks
100 acres3 mi of trail
Children's Garden Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Centennial Woods Natural Area
Managed by University Of Vermont
63 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
East Woods Natural Area
Managed by University of Vermont
55 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto East Woods UVMWebsite ↗
City Center Park
Managed by South Burlington Recreation & Parks
7 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Szymanski Park
Park
21 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Winooski Gorge Natural Area
Managed by Winooski Valley Parks District
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
All 14 parks & preserves
Red Rocks Park104 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · South Burlington Recreation & Parks
DirectionsWheeler Nature Park100 acres · 3 mi of trail · South Burlington Recreation & Parks
DirectionsCentennial Woods Natural Area63 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · University Of Vermont
DirectionsEast Woods Natural Area55 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · University of Vermont
DirectionsCity Center Park7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · South Burlington Recreation & Parks
DirectionsSzymanski Park21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Winooski Gorge Natural Area10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Winooski Valley Parks District
DirectionsOverlook Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park52 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFarrell Park10 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park5 acres
DirectionsBaycrest Park1 acres
Goose Park1 acres
DirectionsQueen City Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
815 conserved acres
8% of South Burlington’s land. Water is left out: South Burlington has 16.4 square miles of land and 14.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages South Burlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits507 ac
Town or city191 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)85 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government84 ac
Regional agency53 ac
Other state land11 ac
Joint9 ac
Conservation Easement · 315 acLocal Park · 288 acUnknown Easement · 210 acAgricultural Easement · 169 acLocal Other or Unknown · 149 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 324 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 58 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Rocks Park Local Park | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Souith Burlington Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
| Proposed Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| East Woods Natural Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
| Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve Local Park | Regional agency | 43 | Open |
| City of South Burlington Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 40 | Unknown |
| Mayfair Park Local Park | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Winooski Valley Park District Local Park | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Farrell Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Degraff Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 12 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in South Burlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in South Burlington
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in South Burlington
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in South Burlington
The Schoolhouse playground
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in South Burlington
Bacon Lofts Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in South Burlington
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in South Burlington
Sage's Point
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Disc golf in South Burlington
Awasiwi Woods Disc Golf CourseSouth Burlington School District
DirectionsCommunity gardens in South Burlington
South Burlington Community GardensIn Wheeler Nature Park
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 12.4 mi
Whales Tails Walking Path1.0 mi
Awasiwi Trail0.9 mi
Awasiwi Trail Connector (old)0.1 mi
City Path0.1 mi
Children's Garden Path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
40 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
28 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
36Tennis
12Baseball
9Soccer
6Basketball
1Volleyball
1Pickleball
1Softball
1Tracks
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Sutton FarmDistrict · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in South Burlington: 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) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in South Burlington →
Next door
South Burlington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Essex70 miChesterfield67 miWilliston62 miColchester58 miSouth Burlington41 miBurlington37 miWillsboro24 miEssex Junction14 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Burlington | 8% | 2.5 | 22 | 85% | A |
| Williston | 14% | 2.0 | 40 | 63% | A |
| Burlington | 22% | 3.6 | 22 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Essex Junction | 19% | 3.0 | 6 | 73% | A− |
| Essex | 7% | 2.1 | 32 | 72% | A |
| Colchester | 14% | 1.6 | 74 | 46% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Burlington
Where can I hike in South Burlington?
The longest trail networks: Red Rocks Park, 3.2 miles; Wheeler Nature Park, 3 miles; Centennial Woods Natural Area, 1.2 miles; East Woods Natural Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Burlington is conserved land?
8% 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 South Burlington’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Winooski Gorge Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Burlington?
40 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes and 28 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Burlington?
16,529 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Burlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 475 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does South Burlington have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #13 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 South Burlington 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 →