Town Forest
Nature preserve
106 acres1.9 mi of trail
Blue and Green Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in St. Johnsbury
St. Johnsbury has 239 acres of parks, 32 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Town Forest (1.9 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross St. Johnsbury, 0.3 per square mile of land. 3% of St. Johnsbury’s land is conserved, about 711 acres.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #63 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
711 acres · of 36.5 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
239 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.2 mi
4.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,440 ft
Mount Pisgah
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is St. Johnsbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Johnsbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Johnsbury is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #63 of 71 in Vermont. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of St. Johnsbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (239 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home61% 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 59%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 11%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so St. Johnsbury’s 3% is ahead of 1% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 17% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B. 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 Town Forest, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Town Forest106 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsFred Mold Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLeonard Field6 acres
DirectionsLegion Field5 acres
DirectionsPeter and Polly Park1 acres
DirectionsChet and Pat Buck Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
711 conserved acres
3% of St. Johnsbury’s land. Who manages St. Johnsbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits980 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government152 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)151 ac
Town or city110 ac
State conservation25 ac
Private owners4 ac
Conservation Easement · 612 acUnknown Easement · 391 acAgricultural Easement · 306 acLocal Other or Unknown · 103 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 597 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johnsbury Municipal Forest Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 103 | Open |
| Leonard Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 4 | Open |
| Fred Mold Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in St. Johnsbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in St. Johnsbury
Kiwanis Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in St. Johnsbury
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in St. Johnsbury
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in St. Johnsbury
Angel Dog Overlook
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in St. Johnsbury
Mount Pisgah1,440 ft elevation
DirectionsSaddleback Mountain1,388 ft elevation
DirectionsCrow Hill1,322 ft elevation
DirectionsBible Hill1,230 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Knob1,099 ft elevation
DirectionsHarris Hill961 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in St. Johnsbury
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in St. Johnsbury
Moose River Campground
DirectionsPierce Mills Dam Tent Sites
DirectionsCommunity gardens in St. Johnsbury
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Path to the Knob0.9 mi
Yellow Trail0.9 mi
Blue Trail0.9 mi
Blue and Green Trail0.3 mi
Pink Trail0.1 mi
Green Trail0.1 mi
Pierce Mills Dam Portage0.1 mi
Gage Dam Portage0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
1Softball
1Football
1Lacrosse
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Railroad Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1974
About itSt. Johnsbury Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itSt. Johnsbury Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itFranklin Fairbanks HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itMaple Street-Clarks Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itMorency Paint Shop and Apartment BuildingBuilding · listed 1994
About itBenoit Apartment House-74 Pearl StreetBuilding · listed 1994
About itBenoit Apartment House-76 Pearl StreetBuilding · listed 1994
About itCote Apartment HouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itCaleb H. Marshall HouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itShearer and Corser Double HouseBuilding · listed 1994
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in St. Johnsbury: 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in St. Johnsbury →
Next door
St. Johnsbury and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johnsbury | 3% | 0.3 | 32 | 61% | B |
| Danville | 4% | 0.3 | 147 | 24% | B− |
| Kirby | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lyndon | 4% | 1.2 | 11 | 28% | B |
| Waterford | 12% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Barnet | 16% | 0.2 | 754 | 11% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Johnsbury
Where can I hike in St. Johnsbury?
The longest trail networks: Town Forest, 1.9 miles; Fred Mold Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Johnsbury is conserved land?
3% 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 St. Johnsbury’s trails?
Town Forest and Leonard Field don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Johnsbury?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near St. Johnsbury?
36,054 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Johnsbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 240 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. Johnsbury have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #63 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 St. Johnsbury 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 →