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Parks & Recreation

Town Parks

All parks are Closed dusk to dawn unless otherwise noted. All parks are ‘Pack-in, Pack-out‘. Please plan to dispose of your own waste and recycling accordingly. Thanks.

Town of Bristol Outdoor Recreation Guide

Other Opportunities for Outdoor Recreation

Town Parks

All parks are closed dusk to dawn unless otherwise noted.

Sycamore Park

Eagle Park

  • Eagle Park is home to the Chuck Baser Memorial ADA-compliant Universal Fishing Platform – one of the first river-side UFPs located in Vermont.
  • Day-use recreation area (2.6 acres) with information kiosk and picnic tables.
  • Access to the New Haven River for fishing, kayaking, and swimming/wading.
  • Mowed area is ideal for bird-watching, picnicking, and recreating. 
  • Map link: 908 Lincoln Rd, Bristol.

Memorial Park

  • This beautiful, wooded park boasts picnic areas, paths, stairs, and a bridge across a chasm that features a roaring waterfall on Baldwin Creek.
  • 19 acres surrounding Burnham Falls on Baldwin Creek
  • A short hike/overlook exists now; improvements to access and an expanded hiking trail is slated for construction over the next few years. Please note: the stairs to the bridge have been removed due to safety concerns. Use caution when visiting this location.
  • Due to safety concerns, Memorial Park is closed anytime ice or snow is present.
  • Map link: Located 5 miles East on Rte 17, Bristol.

Bristol Town Green and Playground

  • The Green offers a fountain, a lighted bandstand, an ADA-compliant children’s playground and peace garden as well as three memorials to veterans. 
  • Town event venue including festivals, band concerts, chicken barbecues, and summer movies in the park.
  • The Green is also home to the Bristol Band Concerts, which have taken place every Wednesday evening since the end of the Civil War. 
  • Map link: Located in Downtown Bristol.

Saunders River Access

  • Saunders River Access park acts as a permanently protected floodplain that slows high-velocity flood water, protects water quality, expands public access to the river through 3,800 feet of river frontage, and acts as a vital riparian habitat for birds, amphibians, and mammals.
  • This 54-acre site includes an access point to the Bristol Flats near an informational kiosk.
  • Please do not drive across the hayfield, but follow the grass lane around the field to the kiosk.
  • The Bristol Conservation Commission and the Vermont River Conservancy actively manage the park and continue to assess the efficacy of the floodplain.
  • Directions (PDF)
  • Map link: Located off 116, Bristol.

Other Opportunities for Outdoor Recreation

Bristol Recreation Department

  • The Bristol Recreation Department is committed to life learning opportunities through a wide range of quality recreational and performing arts activities to people of all ages.
  • The Recreation Dept is home of the Holley Hall, Howden Hall, The Bristol Clay Studio, and works with the Recreation Club to house the Hub Teen Center and Skate Park.
  • The Rec Dept hosts many classes and camps for residents and non-residents, please visit their website for more information: www.BristolVtrec.com.

Bartlett Falls

The Watershed Center (TWC)

  • Founded in 1995 to promote conservation and stewardship of the land, TWC provides public access to five parcels of healthy, beautiful, productive land – Waterworks Property, Lost Pond Forest, Middle Forest, Merritt Heights and Edith Stalk Community Forest in Bristol Village.
  • Map link: 4783 Plank Rd, Bristol.
  • For more information please visit their website: www.thewatershedcentervt.org.

Bristol Cliffs Wilderness

  • The USDA Forest Service manages this 3,750 acre wilderness as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
  • The area has no established trails and the cliffs are unsafe for climbing, but fantastic views of the Champlain Valley; habitats for beavers, white-tailed deer, black bears, and grouse; and two secluded ponds make this wilderness a local gem.
  • Be sure to bring your compass and map!
  • Find more information, click here.
  • Map link: 1776 York Hill Rd, Bristol.

Bristol Recreation Club

  • The Bristol Recreation Club is a non-profit, volunteer-run, membership organization, open to all in the community. Their mission is to maintain outdoor recreation space for the amusement, enjoyment, and recreation of the residents of Bristol, Vermont. 
  • The Rec Club owns and operates the 10 acre Bristol Recreation Park located off Airport Drive, which has three ball fields, tennis courts, ice skating rink, skate park, pump track, grandstand, the HUB Teen Center, Sodbusters Horseshoe Club, and more.
  • The Recreation Park is open dawn until dusk.
  • The Rec Club also maintains the Bristol Trail Network (BTN)
  • Please visit their website for more information: www.bristolrecclub.org

Bristol Trail Network (BTN)

  • The BTN is a project of the Bristol Recreation Club which aims to create a network of hiking and multi-use trails in and around Bristol.
  • For more information and trail guides please see their website: www.bristolrecclub.org/bristol-trail-network