Cobb Town Forest
Nature preserve
100 acres2 mi of trail
Fen TrailEast LoopCobb Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Strafford Town Forest Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Photo: Curtis B. Johnson · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Strafford
Strafford has 1,520 acres of parks, 1,108 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Strafford’s land is conserved, about 5,636 acres. The biggest trail networks: Cobb Town Forest (2 mi), Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area (1.6 mi). 11% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
5,636 acres · of 44.1 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,520 ac
1,108 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,939 ft
Williams Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Strafford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Strafford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Strafford is ahead of 77% 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 Strafford’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,108 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,520 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home11% 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 77%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Strafford’s 20% is ahead of 73% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 48% 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
The longest trail network is Cobb Town Forest, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
901 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
489 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area
Podunk Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
885 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Cobb Town Forest100 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsKibling Hill Wildlife Management Area901 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area489 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPodunk Wildlife Management Area885 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Old City Falls Nature Preserve5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAshley Community Forest109 acres
Who protects it
5,636 conserved acres
20% of Strafford’s land. Who manages Strafford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,822 ac
State fish & wildlife1,797 ac
Joint228 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)99 ac
Not recorded1,524 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,184 acUnknown Easement · 3,663 acState Conservation Area · 1,383 acLocal Resource Management Area · 126 acAgricultural Easement · 99 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,111 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 65 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podunk Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 887 | Open |
| Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 496 | Open |
| Strafford Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 126 | Open |
| Hanchette Flowage State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| Miller Pond Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Strafford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Strafford
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Strafford
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Strafford
Lower Old City FallsIn Old City Falls Nature Preserve
DirectionsUpper Old City Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Strafford
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Strafford
Williams Hill1,939 ft elevation · In Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsKibling Hill1,886 ft elevation
DirectionsMcMaster Hill1,877 ft elevation · In Podunk Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsWhitcomb Hill1,834 ft elevation
DirectionsTug Mountain1,785 ft elevation
DirectionsDavidson Hill1,657 ft elevation
DirectionsMorrill Mountain1,654 ft elevation
DirectionsCooks Hill1,640 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Richardson Hill1,631 ft elevation
DirectionsCenter Hill1,591 ft elevation
DirectionsCopperas Hill1,486 ft elevation
DirectionsGrannyhand Hill1,358 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Strafford
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.6 mi
Fen Trail0.8 mi
East Loop0.7 mi
Cobb Hill Trail0.5 mi
Twp 140.5 mi
Sargent Farm Trail0.5 mi
Old City Falls Trail0.2 mi
Crosstown Trail0.1 mi
Coburn 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
4Tennis
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Strafford: 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 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Strafford →
Next door
Strafford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford | 20% | 0.6 | 1,108 | 11% | A− |
| Tunbridge | 5% | 0.2 | 132 | 10% | B− |
| Sharon | 21% | 0.7 | 467 | 20% | A− |
| Vershire | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Thetford | 17% | 1.5 | 299 | 32% | A |
| West Fairlee | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Royalton | 5% | 0.2 | 88 | 22% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Strafford
Where can I hike in Strafford?
The longest trail networks: Cobb Town Forest, 2 miles; Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area, 1.6 miles; Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area, 0.4 miles; Podunk Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Strafford is conserved land?
20% 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 Strafford’s trails?
Cobb Town Forest and Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Strafford?
14,410 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Strafford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,537 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Strafford have?
Ahead of 77% 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 Strafford 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 →