Green Mountain National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,687 acres4.3 mi of trail
Haystack Mountain TrailDeerfield Ridge trailValley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Staib · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilmington
Wilmington has 538 acres of parks, 308 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Wilmington’s land is conserved, about 5,789 acres. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Wilmington, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest (4.3 mi), Molly Stark State Park (2 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,789 acres · of 40.5 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
538 ac
308 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,425 ft
Haystack Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wilmington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam308 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild22% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 77% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilmington is ahead of 84% 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 Wilmington’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land308 acres of park per 1,000 residents (538 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13AParks close to home26% 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 84%
LessMore
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Wilmington’s 22% is ahead of 80% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% 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 Green Mountain National Forest, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Molly Stark State Park
Nature preserve
172 acres2 mi of trail
Mount Olga TrailShearer Hill TrailTower Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Green Mountain National Forest1,687 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Molly Stark State Park172 acres · 2 mi of trail
Baker Field8 acres
DirectionsBeaver Brook Park2 acres
DirectionsBirchwood Recreation Center2 acres
Who protects it
5,789 conserved acres
22% of Wilmington’s land. Who manages Wilmington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,794 ac
U.S. Forest Service1,779 ac
Not recorded596 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,402 acAgricultural Easement · 3,056 acNational Forest · 1,779 acLocal Other or Unknown · 350 acUnknown Easement · 336 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,414 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 82 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,779 | Open |
| Town of Wilmington Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 331 | Open |
| Molly Stark State Park State Park | Not recorded | 171 | Open |
| Wilmington School Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 53 | Open |
| Deerfield Valley Elementary School Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| Green Mountain Beach Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| Lake Raponda Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Wilmington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wilmington
Green Mountain Beach
DirectionsThe Ledges
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wilmington
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wilmington
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Wilmington
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Wilmington
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wilmington
Haystack Mountain3,425 ft elevation · In Green Mountain National Forest
DirectionsMount Olga2,418 ft elevation · In Molly Stark State Park
DirectionsCastle Hill1,893 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wilmington
Mt Mills West Picnic Area
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wilmington
Molly Stark State Park CampsitesIn Molly Stark State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 19.0 mi
Valley Trail4.7 mi
Haystack Mountain Trail2.0 mi
Hoot Toot & Whistle Trail1.9 mi
Little John Trail1.6 mi
Mount Olga Trail1.5 mi
Shearer Hill Trail1.2 mi
Deerfield Ridge trail1.1 mi
Ware Road Connector0.9 mi
Raponda Ridge Trail0.6 mi
Deerfield Ridge Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Tower Trail
0.1 miSherwood Forest Trail
0.1 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.
Courts & fields
9Tennis
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 Wilmington: May to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 39 | 52 | 65 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 69 | 56 | 44 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wilmington →
Next door
Wilmington and its neighbors
Wilmington has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 22% | 0.9 | 308 | 26% | A− |
| Searsburg | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Whitingham | 24% | 0.5 | 757 | 6% | A− |
| Dover | 31% | 0.7 | 844 | 11% | A− |
| Readsboro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wilmington
Where can I hike in Wilmington?
The longest trail networks: Green Mountain National Forest, 4.3 miles; Molly Stark State Park, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilmington is conserved land?
22% 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 Wilmington’s trails?
Green Mountain National Forest and Molly Stark State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wilmington?
94,910 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilmington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,334 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Wilmington 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 →