Parks, Places and Activities
Parks and Recreation Areas
Guilford Fairgrounds 
Best known for the annual Guilford Fair, the fairgrounds are owned by the Guilford Fair Association. All Guilford citizens are members of the Fair Association. The grounds and buildings can be rented for special occasions. Contact David Franklin at 802-254-2228 to make arrangements or you can visit: Guilford Fair, Guilford, VT – Home
Adjacent to the Guilford Fairgrounds off of Weatherhead Hollow Road, this 9 acre park is owned and maintained by the Guilford Recreation Club. All Guilford residents are members of the Club. The park includes the following recreational resources which are available for use by members, available on a first come – first serve basis:
- Tennis and pickleball court (walk up around locked gate for access)
- Baseball field. Contact Maggie Foley maggiejfoley@gmail.com to reserve for team practices and games.
- Basketball court
- Picnic shelter and table
- Nature trail
- Log cabin with bunk beds for 8, wood heat, gas stove and lights. Contact Chris Denette: chris195743@yahoo.com for reservations and access to the cabin.
Guilford Center Village Natural Playscape
Located at 70 Carpenter Hill Road near the Guilford Free Library, the Playscape is a community-led endeavor that transformed a vacant lot into an enriching playspace for children, families and community members. The Playscape offers:
- Picnic tables and gazebo
- Looped nature trail
- Raised garden beds for community gardening, berry bushes and compost bin
- Splashing and swimming in the Broad Brook
- Slide
- Little Free Pantry to share non-perishable food items, personal care items, and fresh summer produce.
Guilford Community Park
Located just behind the Guilford Country Store at 24 Church Drive off of Bee Barn Road. There is a pathway from the country store parking lot through the wetlands directly to the park. Open to the public daily for picnics, meditation, or a walk around the labyrinth. Available also to rent for larger parties or gatherings. Information at www.guilfordcommunitypark.org.
Park resources include:
- Timber frame pavilion
- Walking labyrinth
- Playing field, ~ 120×80’
- Half basketball court, 22×30’
- Playground
- Frisbee golf
- Fire pit
The Andrew G. Weeks Memorial Forest consists of 171 acres given in his memory to the New England Forest Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust in 1992 for demonstration harvests. A lovely trail lined with sugar maples follows the brook and is suitable for all ages and hiking abilities.
Another trail located across the brook is suitable for experienced hikers. This trail, traversing a sizeable area that has been logged, offers great opportunities for wildlife viewing. A map for the Carriage Trail at Weeks Memorial Forest is available at the trailhead in a mailbox, or via download here. This map is also available on Trailfinder.
The 217-acre park is located in the towns of Guilford, Vernon, and Brattleboro. The park has a campground with 50 tent/trailer sites and 10 lean-to sites, a picnic area, hiking trails, and a large open field. It is open for camping from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend and for hiking and other activities from dawn to dusk throughout the year.
A park map and guide are available at https://www.vtstateparks.com/fortdummer.html and at the entrance on Old Guilford Road in Brattleboro. An entrance fee is charged from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
This 100-acre state park in Guilford offers a quiet 1.3-mile woodland trail around Sweet Pond, paddling, and swimming from the dam. A park guide is available at https://vtstateparks.com/sweetpond.html
Note For Vermont State Parks:
- If you are 62 years or older and a Vermont resident, or a Vermont resident who is a veteran who has been honorably discharged from active duty in US armed services, you are eligible for a lifetime day entry pass into all Vermont state parks called the Green Mountain Passport.
- A free Library State Park Day Pass is available to check out at the Guilford Free Library, there is only one pass and is first come first serve.
This 33-acre pond, completed in 1965, is maintained by the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. It includes a fishing and boating access area, where limited motorized boating (e.g. bass boats) is permitted.
This 1401-acre Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in the towns of Guilford and Vernon is managed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. It is open to regulated hunting, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. The WMA is accessible only from Vernon. A map and guide are available at https://fpr.vermont.gov/roaring-brook-wildlife-management-area
Recreational Activities
Although many roads in Guilford offer pleasant cycling, the following roads are relatively level and have little or moderate traffic:
- Ashworth Road (unimproved)
- Green River Road (unpaved)
- River Road (unpaved)
- Weatherhead Hollow Road (paved)
Camping facilities are found at:
- Fort Dummer State Park (tent/trailer sites and lean-tos)
- Whittemore Park (log cabin)
A fishing license is required for those over 14 years old. Licenses are available at the Guilford Town Clerk’s office, The Guilford Country Store and online. For more information go to http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com or call Vermont Fish & Wildlife at 802-828-1190. Guilford’s favorite fishing spots are:
- Green River and its tributaries
- Weatherhead Hollow Pond
- Sweet Pond
- Broad Brook
Hiking and Trails
Help expand, maintain and reclaim Guilford’s trail network by joining the Trails Committee (email: jeannettetokarzpc@gmail.com). A map of Guilford’s legal trails is available here.
The following trails in Guilford are marked:
- Guilford School Nature Trail, built by Guilford Central School students, is located on private land. Guilford citizens are permitted to walk the trail during school hours and when accompanied by a student.
- Sweet Pond State Park trail (Click Here for Map)
- Fort Dummer State Park trails (Click Here for Map)
- Weeks Forest Carriage Trail (Click Here for Map)
Guilford’s trails and old roads also offer pleasant hiking. The following old roads, although not marked with trail signs, are easily followed:
- Bullock Road to Guilford Center
- Ashworth Road
Many of Guilford’s unpaved roads, old roads, and hiking trails may be used for horseback riding.
A hunting license is required. More information is available at www.vtfishandwildlife.com or call Vermont Fish & Wildlife at 802-828-1190.
Although Guilford does not maintain any skating areas , favorable conditions offer good skating at:
- Sweet Pond
- Weatherhead Hollow Pond
- Green River Dam Mill Pond
Non-motorized boating is permitted in:
- Sweet Pond
- Weatherhead Hollow Pond
- Green River (seasonal canoeing and kayaking)
Quiet picnic spots are abundant throughout town and include the following sites:
- Fort Dummer State Park
- Sweet Pond State Park
- Green River Dam
- Weatherhead Hollow Pond
- Whittemore Park
- Guilford Community Park
- Guilford Natural Playscape
The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) trails in Guilford are maintained by the Guilford Pitstoppers. Many trails cross private land with permission granted for use only during the snow season and only by VAST members. They are not open to ATVs, four-wheelers, motor or mountain bikes, hiking, horseback riding or other uses, unless authorized by landowners. The Guilford Pitstoppers can be found on Facebook, and give a hearty thanks to private landowners for use of their trails.
Snowshoeing and Cross-country Skiing
Favorite sites include:
- Guilford’s hiking trails and old roads
- 1-mile trail at Sweet Pond State Park
Sports
Baseball, Basketball, Tennis and Pickleball, see Sports page.
Favorite swimming spots include:
- The Green River Dam is a National Historic Site maintained by the Green River Village Preservation Trust. Swimming is open to all Guilford residents in the millpond above and the pools below the dam.
- Sweet Pond. The best access is at the dam.
Two favorite sites are:
- Roaring Brook Wildlife Management Area
- Weeks Memorial Forest
See also the Guilford Conservation Commission for more information on natural resources in Guilford.
