Best Parks in Burlington
Burlington, Vermont — updated August 21, 2026
Lake Champlain shoreline, cliff trails in South Burlington and a new bike park in the New North End, ranked by how settled their reputations are.
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Burlington's Department of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront oversees more than 550 acres of open space, and most of the best of it sits on or near the Lake Champlain shore. That means the ranking below is largely a question of what kind of water access you want: a downtown promenade, a sandy swimming beach, red cliffs over the lake, or a state park you reach by boat. Ratings are paired with review counts here, because a 4.8 from a dozen visitors is a hint and a 4.7 from thousands is a verdict.
1. Waterfront Park
The most thoroughly tested park in the city: 4.7 stars across more than 3,800 reviews, which is as settled as a rating gets in Burlington. It runs along Lake Street at the foot of downtown, so the walk from the Church Street area is short and the lake views are the whole point. Food is close at hand rather than in the park itself: Splash at the Boathouse lists hours of 11am to 8:30pm daily, and Skinny Pancake's Burlington location is open seven days a week from 7:30am with crepes, coffee and beer. Expect crowds during festival weekends, when the lawn does double duty as an event ground.
2. Oakledge Park
A 4.7 rating from more than 900 reviews puts Oakledge just behind Waterfront on evidence, and it offers more to do in a smaller footprint. Visitors describe picnic tables, pavilions, walking trails, and tennis and volleyball courts, all at the south end of the bike path off Flynn Avenue. Parking is paid rather than free, so bring a card or ride in. The shelters can be reserved for half-day or full-day blocks through the city, which is worth knowing in advance on summer weekends when group bookings take the best-shaded spots early.
3. North Beach Park
Burlington's sandy swimming beach, in the New North End, with 4.6 stars from more than 1,000 reviews. It is the most straightforward place in the city to actually get in the lake, and Paddlesurf Champlain rents paddleboards on site for anyone who wants to go further out. The adjoining campground runs May 15 through October 15. Note the gate rule: visitors are not permitted after 10pm, so plan sunset swims with the drive out in mind. Parking fills fastest on hot weekday afternoons in July and August.
4. Red Rocks Park
One hundred acres of woods and cliffside trail in South Burlington, holding 4.7 stars across more than 700 reviews. Hikers consistently describe the trails as well maintained and the loop as a half-hour to an hour, which makes it the best short-hike option on this list. The park is open dawn to dusk. There is a swimming beach but no lifeguards, and summer bathrooms run noon to 6pm. Parking and entry have been reported as free, which is a real difference from the city-run waterfront lots a few miles north.
5. Ethan Allen Park
At 4.6 stars from 363 reviews, Ethan Allen Park is well established without being crowded, and its paved main trail makes it the easiest walking surface among the wooded parks here. Reviewers single out the shade, which matters in August. It sits on North Avenue, north of the beach parks. If you are combining it with local history, the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum nearby is open daily May through October, 10am to 4pm, with tours starting at 10:30am, 11:50am, 1:10pm and 2:30pm.
6. Burton Island State Park
The highest rating on the list, 4.8, but from only 50 reviews, so treat it as promising rather than proven. It is also the biggest commitment: the park is off Hathaway Point Road in St. Albans Town, an island reached by boat rather than a drive from downtown Burlington. Day use hours are 10am to sunset. The Burton Island Bistro is a small store and cafe serving breakfast and lunch, with cold salads, to-go items, camping supplies and beer. Reservations made more than seven days ahead require a two-night minimum; single nights are only bookable inside seven days.
7. Burlington Bike Park
Phase 1 of the Leddy Bike Park in the New North End is complete and open, built over roughly six weeks with the first two of a planned larger set of features. The 4.7 rating rests on 22 reviews, which is thin, and the project is still expanding, so what you find may differ from what earlier riders found. Worth a trip if you are already heading to Leddy Park with a bike; less so as a standalone destination until later phases land.
8. Texaco Beach
A small, informal lake access point on Cambrian Way, off the bike path. The 4.8 rating comes from just 13 reviews, the thinnest evidence of anything here, so it goes last on that basis alone rather than any fault of the place. Locals note that some people avoid the bike path stretch after dark, though it stays reasonably busy until the predawn hours. Best treated as a quick stop mid-ride on a summer afternoon.