Mount Mansfield State Forest
Managed by Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
5,549 acres18.8 mi of trail
Long TrailSunset Ridge TrailNebraska Notch TrailButler Lodge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: John Mackenzie Burke · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Underhill
20% of Underhill’s land is conserved: 6,535 acres
47 miles of mapped trail cross Underhill, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest (18.8 mi), Mount Mansfield Natural Area (2.3 mi), Underhill State Park (1.3 mi). 19% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #61 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
6,535 acres · of 51.2 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
26 ac
8.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
19%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
4,396 ft
Mount Mansfield
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Underhill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Underhill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Underhill is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #61 of 71 in Vermont. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Underhill’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (47 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land8.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (26 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home19% 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 61%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 14%
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Underhill’s 20% is ahead of 73% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Mount Mansfield State Forest, with 18.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount Mansfield Natural Area
Nature preserve
137 acres2.3 mi of trail
Long TrailCanyon North ExtensionLaura Cowles TrailProfanity Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Underhill State Park
Nature preserve
62 acres1.3 mi of trail
Eagles Cut Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Crane Brook Conservation District
Nature preserve
73 acres0.9 mi of trail
Crane Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Mount Mansfield State Forest5,549 acres · 18.8 mi of trail · Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
DirectionsMount Mansfield Natural Area137 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsUnderhill State Park62 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCrane Brook Conservation District73 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCasey's Hill8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMoore Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
6,535 conserved acres
20% of Underhill’s land. Who manages Underhill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,597 ac
Other state land75 ac
Not recorded4,593 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,363 acConservation Easement · 1,937 acAgricultural Easement · 534 acResearch or Educational Area · 289 acUnknown Easement · 137 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,943 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 14 of 44 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Mansfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 4,363 | Open |
| Proctor Maple Research Center Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 166 | Unknown |
| Mount Mansfield Natural Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 128 | Unknown |
Things to do
23 places to go in Underhill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Underhill
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Underhill
Mount Mansfield4,396 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield Natural Area
DirectionsAdams Apple4,121 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield Natural Area
DirectionsLower Lip4,121 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield Natural Area
DirectionsDewey Mountain3,323 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsMount Mayo3,123 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsMount Clark2,963 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsSugarloaf2,159 ft elevation · In Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsFlynn Hill1,867 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Feigel Hill1,726 ft elevation
DirectionsMacomber Mountain1,575 ft elevation
DirectionsHedgehog Hill1,568 ft elevation
DirectionsMcLean Hill1,430 ft elevation
DirectionsMetcalf Hill1,348 ft elevation
DirectionsCushing Hill1,161 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Underhill
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Underhill
Group Camping AreaFee · In Underhill State Park
DirectionsTwin Brooks Tenting AreaIn Mount Mansfield State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 20.9 mi
Long Trail6.0 mi
Sunset Ridge Trail1.5 mi
Nebraska Notch Trail1.4 mi
Butler Lodge Trail1.3 mi
Frost Trail1.2 mi
Laura Cowles Trail1.1 mi
Tear Drop Trail1.1 mi
Halfway House Trail0.7 mi
Lake Mansfield Trail0.6 mi
Maple Ridge Trail0.5 mi
12 more trails
Underhill Church Dog Walking Path
0.5 miClara Bow Trail
0.4 miCanyon North Extension
0.4 miCrane Brook Trail
0.4 miEagles Cut Trail
0.3 miProfanity Trail
0.2 miEddy's Path
0.2 miSubway
0.1 miCliff Trail
0.1 miAdams Apple Trail
0.1 miHell Brook Trail
0.1 miCantilever Rock Trail
0.1 miLakes & 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
7Tennis
2Basketball
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Underhill: 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 28 | 37 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 55 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Underhill →
Next door
Underhill and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Underhill
Where can I hike in Underhill?
The longest trail networks: Mount Mansfield State Forest, 18.8 miles; Mount Mansfield Natural Area, 2.3 miles; Underhill State Park, 1.3 miles; Crane Brook Conservation District, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Underhill 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 Underhill’s trails?
Mount Mansfield State Forest and Mount Mansfield Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Underhill?
57,520 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Underhill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,680 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Underhill have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #61 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 Underhill 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 →