Path of Life Sculpture Garden
Park
10 acres1.4 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Windsor
Windsor has 3,641 acres of parks, 1,024 for every 1,000 residents
35% of Windsor’s land is conserved, about 4,362 acres. 28 miles of mapped trail cross Windsor, 1.4 per square mile of land. 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #2 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
Conserved land
35%
4,362 acres · of 19.4 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,641 ac
1,024 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,097 ft
Ascutney North
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Windsor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam1,024 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild35% of the land is conserved; a typical Vermont town, 14%.A trail town1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 88% of U.S. towns.History along the way11 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Windsor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Windsor is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #2 of 71 in Vermont. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Windsor’s overall grade.
Conserved land35% of the land · typical VT town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · VT 0.6 · U.S. 0.4APark land1,024 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,641 acres) · VT 97 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · VT 38% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)#2 of 71
Vermont towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Windsor’s 35% is ahead of 96% of Vermont towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% 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 Path of Life Sculpture Garden, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
4,362 conserved acres
35% of Windsor’s land. Who manages Windsor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits900 ac
Joint721 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)160 ac
Town or city45 ac
State fish & wildlife3 ac
Not recorded2,995 ac
State Park · 2,343 acConservation Easement · 1,170 acState Conservation Area · 839 acUnknown Easement · 261 acAgricultural Easement · 160 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,129 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascutney State Park State Park | Not recorded | 2,343 | Open |
| Windsor Prison Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 839 | Open |
| West Windsor Town Forest Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| UVLT, Mill Brook / Brook Road Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
| Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Windsor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Windsor
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Windsor
1 playground without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Windsor
Gerry's Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Windsor
Blood Rock
DirectionsBrownsville Rock
DirectionsCastle Rock
DirectionsKnee Lookout
DirectionsMount Ascutney observation tower
DirectionsNorth Peak Vista
DirectionsPeaks in Windsor
Ascutney North3,097 ft elevation
DirectionsAscutney South2,887 ft elevation
DirectionsWeeden Hill1,322 ft elevation
DirectionsHorseback Ridge797 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Windsor
Mt Ascutney State Park CampgroundFee · VT State Parks
DirectionsTrails & water
21 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.0 miHorses · 2.4 miUnpaved · 18.9 mi
Norcross Trail3.9 mi
Futures Trail3.9 mi
Swoops and Loops Trail2.7 mi
Windsor Trail2.4 mi
Brownsville Trail2.0 mi
Town Highway 210.5 mi
Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Summit Trail0.4 mi
Slab Trail0.3 mi
Juniper Hill Trail0.3 mi
11 more trails
Blood Rock Trail
0.2 miCastle Rock Trail
0.2 miLakeside Trail
0.2 miNorth Dike Path
0.2 miBicentennial Trail
0.1 miFutures Link
0.1 mi1903 Route
0.1 miSteam Donkey Cut-Off
0.1 miSlot Trail
0.1 miZigzag Trail
0.1 miMt Ascutney Hospital Entrance
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
4Baseball
3Basketball
2Tennis
2Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine ShopNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About itOld Constitution HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itWindsor HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itWindsor Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itFowler-Steele HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itJuniper Hill Farm-Maxwell Evarts HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itNAMCO BlockBuilding · listed 1991
About itTwing Buckman HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itAscutney State ParkDistrict · listed 2002
About itAscutney Mill Dam Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itOld South ChurchBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Windsor: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Windsor →
Next door
Windsor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor | 35% | 1.4 | 1,024 | 82% | A+ |
| West Windsor | 16% | 1.5 | 18 | 7% | B+ |
| Weathersfield | 15% | 0.4 | 362 | 32% | B+ |
| Hartland | 15% | 0.2 | 97 | 9% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Windsor
Where can I hike in Windsor?
The longest trail networks: Path of Life Sculpture Garden, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Windsor is conserved land?
35% 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 Windsor’s trails?
Path of Life Sculpture Garden doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Windsor?
23,894 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Windsor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,690 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Windsor have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Windsor 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 →