Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area
Managed by VT DEC
932 acres0.8 mi of trail
Old Railroad Passage Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Parish of the Holy Trinity · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Swanton
40% of Swanton’s land is conserved: 12,401 acres
744 acres are parks and preserves, 109 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area (0.8 mi). 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #36 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
40%
12,401 acres · of 48.2 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
744 ac
109 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
6.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Swanton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Swanton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swanton is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #36 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 Swanton’s overall grade.
Conserved land40% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land109 acres of park per 1,000 residents (744 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 78%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 50%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Swanton’s 40% is ahead of 99% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 20% of them.
Water is 22% of Swanton’s area (13 of 62 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 32%.
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 Maquam Bay WMA, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Managed by VT DEC
186 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
John Raleigh III Memorial Field
Managed by Swanton Village
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Marble Mill Park
Managed by Swanton Village
6 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area932 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · VT DEC
DirectionsVillage Green Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Swanton Village
DirectionsMarble Mill Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Swanton Village
DirectionsFairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area186 acres · VT DEC
John Raleigh III Memorial Field7 acres · Swanton Village
Swanton Beach3 acres · Swanton Village
DirectionsWho protects it
12,401 conserved acres
40% of Swanton’s land. Water is left out: Swanton has 48.2 square miles of land and 13.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Swanton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits14,535 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service7,852 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)2,313 ac
State conservation94 ac
State fish & wildlife42 ac
Town or city11 ac
Not recorded730 ac
Agricultural Easement · 9,027 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 7,794 acConservation Easement · 7,758 acState Conservation Area · 722 acUnknown Easement · 258 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7,752 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 106 of 276 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 7,794 | Restricted |
| Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 445 | Open |
| Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 186 | Open |
| Carmans Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 91 | Open |
| Marble Mill Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Swanton Recreation Commission Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| St. Albans Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| West Swanton Fish Culture Station State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
| Village Green Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Larry Greene Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Swanton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Swanton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Swanton
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Swanton
Louie's Landing Boat Launch
DirectionsMacs Bend Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Swanton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Swanton
Lakewood campground
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Jeep Trail1.9 mi
Old Railroad Passage Trail1.4 mi
Stephen J. Young Marsh Trail1.3 mi
Discovery Trail0.8 mi
Maquam Creek Trail0.8 mi
Black Creek Trail0.7 mi
Town Highway 450.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Tennis
3Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Richwood EstateBuilding · listed 1988
About itRockledgeBuilding · listed 1994
About itFirst Congregational Church of SwantonBuilding · listed 2001
About itMethodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2001
About itParish of the Holy TrinityBuilding · listed 2001
About itSwanton SchoolBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Swanton: 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 29 | 39 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Swanton →
Next door
Swanton and its neighbors
Swanton has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanton | 40% | 0.4 | 109 | 35% | A− |
| Highgate | 27% | 0.2 | 129 | 13% | B+ |
| Alburgh | 29% | 0.6 | 918 | 13% | A− |
| North Hero | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fairfield | 22% | 0.1 | 472 | 16% | B |
| St. Albans | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sheldon | 19% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Swanton
Where can I hike in Swanton?
The longest trail networks: Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area, 0.8 miles; Marble Mill Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swanton is conserved land?
40% 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 Swanton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Maquam Bay Wildlife Management Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swanton?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Swanton?
8,893 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swanton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,237 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swanton have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 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 Swanton 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 →