Quaddick State Forest
Managed by State of Connecticut
112 acres0.3 mi of trail
Border Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: JJBers · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Putnam
7% of Putnam’s land is conserved: 945 acres
9.3 miles of mapped trail cross Putnam, 0.5 per square mile of land. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 79 acres are parks and preserves, 8.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #142 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
945 acres · of 20.3 sq mi of land
Trails
9.3 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
79 ac
8.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.1 mi
3.1 mi paths
Highest peak
656 ft
Elmwood Hill
Lakes & rivers
20
What kind of outdoors town is Putnam?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Putnam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Putnam is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #142 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Putnam’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land8.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (79 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home73% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 8%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Putnam’s 7% is ahead of 13% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 5% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Quaddick State Forest, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Natchaug State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
92 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lower Pond Preserve
Managed by Wyndham Land Trust
65 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 34 parks & preserves
Quaddick State Forest112 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsRidge Road Open Space24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Putnam
Murphy Recreation Park43 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Rotary Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Putnam
DirectionsVeterans Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNatchaug State Forest92 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Lower Pond Preserve65 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Dowell Open Space48 acres
DirectionsChaffee Preserve43 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Sabin Street Open Space36 acres · Town of Putnam
Modock Road Open Space34 acres · Town of Putnam
Hayden Preserve32 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Woodstock Avenue Open Space24 acres · Town of Putnam
Park Road Open Space21 acres · Town of Putnam
Aldrich Road Open Space16 acres · Town of Putnam
Tamler Preserve14 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Airline State Park Trail (Northern Section)11 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Richmond Road Open Space11 acres · Town of Putnam
Highland Drive Open Space8 acres · Town of Putnam
John F. Simonzi, Sr. Memorial Park8 acres · Town of Putnam
DirectionsChase Street Open Space4 acres · Town of Putnam
Munyan Road Open Space4 acres · State of Connecticut
King Street Open Space4 acres · Town of Putnam
Providence Pike Open Space3 acres · State of Connecticut
Industrial Park Road Open Space3 acres · Town of Putnam
Pomfret Rod and Gun Club2 acres · Pomfret Rod and Gun Club
Anna Perry Open Space2 acres · Town of Putnam
Bull Hill Preserve1 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Keech Street Open Space1 acres · Town of Putnam
Travis Open Space1 acres · Town of Putnam
Dr. Robert R. Johnston Community Garden1 acres · Town of Putnam
DirectionsPomfret Street Open Space1 acres · State of Connecticut
DirectionsPowhattan Street Open Space1 acres · Town of Putnam
DirectionsRobert J. Miller Park1 acres · Town of Putnam
DirectionsWho protects it
945 conserved acres
7% of Putnam’s land. Who manages Putnam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners230 ac
Other state land226 ac
Town or city95 ac
State conservation6 ac
Not recorded676 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 287 acUnknown Easement · 231 acPrivate Agricultural · 230 acState Resource Management Area · 226 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 136 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 26 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 663 | Unknown |
| Quaddick State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 140 | Unknown |
| Natchaug State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 85 | Unknown |
| Town Open Space (Dowell Property) (2 Parcel) Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Murphy Recreation Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Airline Trail State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Tarr Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Simonzi Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Kings Hill Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Putnam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Putnam
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Putnam
Putnam Lions Memorial Dog Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Putnam
Cargill Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Putnam
Elmwood Hill656 ft elevation
DirectionsTorry Hill627 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill564 ft elevation
DirectionsDavis Hill482 ft elevation
DirectionsBates Hill423 ft elevation
DirectionsBowen Hill374 ft elevation
DirectionsHospital Hill318 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Putnam
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 20 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Airline Railbed1.0 mi
Border Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Aldrich PondpondCady PondCadyville PondCargill Falls ReservoirreservoirCarpenter PondCarpenters J. PondChapman PondEast Putnam PondHurlburt PondKings PondLaBonte PondMary Brown PondreservoirOverlook PondpondPerry Brook PondQuinebaug River ReservoirreservoirTavern Brook Pond No 1Tavern Brook Pond No 2lakeFive Mile RiverLittle RiverQuinebaug River
Biking & sports
3.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Basketball
3Tennis
2Soccer
1Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Putnam: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Putnam →
Next door
Putnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam | 7% | 0.5 | 8 | 73% | B |
| Pomfret | 33% | 1.0 | 250 | 32% | A |
| Killingly | 11% | 0.5 | 52 | 46% | B+ |
| Thompson | 11% | 1.1 | 71 | 53% | A− |
| Woodstock | 18% | 0.5 | 30 | 34% | B+ |
| South Woodstock | — 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 Putnam
Where can I hike in Putnam?
The longest trail networks: Quaddick State Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Putnam is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Putnam’s trails?
Quaddick State Forest and Natchaug State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Putnam?
3.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Putnam?
13,161 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Putnam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 79 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Putnam have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #142 of 155 in Connecticut. 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 Putnam 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 →