Thetford Hill State Park
Managed by VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
170 acres3.1 mi of trail
Upper TrailThe Glebe TrailFireplace Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Thetford
Thetford has 841 acres of parks, 299 for every 1,000 residents
65 miles of mapped trail cross Thetford, 1.5 per square mile of land. 17% of Thetford’s land is conserved, about 4,693 acres. The biggest trail networks: Thetford Hill State Park (3.1 mi), Palmer Forest (1 mi), Ely Mountain Conservation Area (1 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #18 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
4,693 acres · of 43.6 sq mi of land
Trails
65 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
841 ac
299 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,663 ft
High Peak
Lakes & rivers
7
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Thetford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam299 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 89% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild17% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Thetford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Thetford is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #18 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Thetford’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (65 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land299 acres of park per 1,000 residents (841 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home32% 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 87%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 76%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Thetford’s 17% is ahead of 63% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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 Thetford Hill State Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Palmer Forest
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
454 acres1 mi of trail
Potato Hill Road South
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ely Mountain Conservation Area
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
204 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Thetford Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
81 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Post Mills Nature Area
Nature preserve
119 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Thetford Hill State Park170 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPalmer Forest454 acres · 1 mi of trail · Upper Valley Land Trust
Ely Mountain Conservation Area204 acres · 1 mi of trail · Upper Valley Land Trust
DirectionsThetford Hill State Forest81 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPost Mills Nature Area119 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Thetford Park2 acres
DirectionsThetford Hill Common1 acres · Town of Thetford
DirectionsWho protects it
4,693 conserved acres
17% of Thetford’s land. Who manages Thetford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,156 ac
Army Corps of Engineers990 ac
Joint638 ac
Town or city469 ac
State conservation176 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)166 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government50 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,897 acUnknown Easement · 1,804 acRecreation Management Area · 990 acAgricultural Easement · 567 acPrivate Conservation · 463 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,419 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 43 of 113 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Village Dam Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 990 | Open |
| Hughes Forest Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 269 | Open |
| Thetford Hill State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 257 | Open |
| UVLT, Ely Mountain Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 204 | Open |
| Thetford Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 176 | Unknown |
| Upper Valley Land Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 128 | Open |
| Post Mills Nature Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 118 | Open |
| UVLT Easement, PegJack Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 98 | Open |
| Upper Valley Land Trust, Zebedee Headwaters Private Conservation | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
| North Thetford Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
36 places to go in Thetford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Thetford
Sandy Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Thetford
Dog Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Thetford
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Thetford
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Thetford
Norford Lake
DirectionsWaterfalls in Thetford
The Chutes
DirectionsThe Chutes
DirectionsPlus 4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Peaks in Thetford
High Peak1,663 ft elevation
DirectionsHoughton Hill1,467 ft elevation
DirectionsEly Mountain1,453 ft elevation
DirectionsPreston Hill1,407 ft elevation
DirectionsChilds Hill1,339 ft elevation
DirectionsGove Hill1,273 ft elevation
DirectionsMeetinghouse Hill1,145 ft elevation
DirectionsHubbard Hill1,001 ft elevation
Directions3 more peaks
Picnic areas in Thetford
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Thetford
Camp FarnsworthFee
DirectionsRest N' Nest CampgroundFee
DirectionsRoaring Brook CampsiteUpper Valley Land Trust
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 26.8 miUnpaved · 42.9 mi
Mimi's Trail2.6 mi
Potato Hill Road South1.9 mi
Turnpike Road South1.3 mi
West Branch1.3 mi
The Glebe Trail0.9 mi
Lookout0.9 mi
Upper East Branch0.9 mi
Forest Management Trail0.9 mi
Mystery Trail0.8 mi
Linny Levin Trail0.8 mi
15 more trails
Torrey's Trail
0.7 miFireplace Trail
0.7 miRidge Loop Trail
0.5 miBill Hill Trail
0.5 miUpper Trail
0.5 miBack 9
0.5 miMoose Alley
0.5 miStone Wall
0.4 miMonkey Wrench
0.4 miWall Stile
0.4 miGlen
0.4 miSquiggley D
0.4 miPotato Hill Road North
0.4 miPoint
0.3 miBootstrap
0.3 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Torrey's TrailBike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
11Equestrian
11Tennis
4Soccer
4Basketball
3Baseball
2Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Thetford Center Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itUnion Village Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1974
About itPeabody LibraryBuilding · listed 1984
About itThetford Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itPost Mills ChurchBuilding · listed 1992
About itEly Boston & Maine Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1994
About itThetford Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1998
About itThetford Hill State ParkDistrict · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Thetford: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Thetford →
Next door
Thetford and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Thetford
Where can I hike in Thetford?
The longest trail networks: Thetford Hill State Park, 3.1 miles; Palmer Forest, 1 miles; Ely Mountain Conservation Area, 1 miles; Thetford Hill State Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Thetford is conserved land?
17% 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 Thetford’s trails?
Thetford Hill State Park and Palmer Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Thetford?
22,178 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thetford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,564 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Thetford have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 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 Thetford 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 →