Bear Swamp
Nature preserve
330 acres3.6 mi of trail
North-South TrailLookout TrailBeaver Brook TrailFern Glade Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ashfield
Ashfield has 1,351 acres of parks, 714 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Ashfield’s land is conserved, about 5,185 acres. 44 miles of mapped trail cross Ashfield, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bear Swamp (3.6 mi), Chapel Brook (2.1 mi), Bullitt Reservation (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
5,185 acres · of 40.0 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,351 ac
714 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,827 ft
Peter Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Ashfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ashfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ashfield is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ashfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land714 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,351 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home41% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Ashfield’s 20% is ahead of 47% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 23% 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 Bear Swamp, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chapel Brook
Nature preserve
183 acres2.1 mi of trail
D.A.R. TrailSummit TrailTwo Bridges TrailClimbers Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bullitt Reservation
Nature preserve
146 acres0.8 mi of trail
Pebble TrailTwo Bridges Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Poland Brook Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Department of Fish And Game
112 acres0.6 mi of trail
Two Bridges Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Bear Swamp330 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
DirectionsChapel Brook183 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBullitt Reservation146 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPoland Brook Wildlife Management Area112 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Department of Fish And Game
Ashfield Wildlife Conservation Easement79 acres
Belding Memorial Park13 acres
DirectionsField Field4 acres · Trustees of Sanderson Academy
DirectionsWho protects it
5,185 conserved acres
20% of Ashfield’s land. Who manages Ashfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,056 ac
Other state land1,737 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)451 ac
State parks324 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government317 ac
State conservation247 ac
State natural resources100 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,294 acAgricultural Easement · 2,722 acPrivate Conservation · 690 acState Resource Management Area · 374 acState Conservation Area · 334 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,567 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 17 of 211 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.A.R. State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 374 | Open |
| Bear Swamp Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 281 | Open |
| Ashfield Hawley Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 181 | Open |
| Chapel Brook Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 174 | Open |
| Bullitt Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 146 | Open |
| Edge Hill Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 139 | Restricted |
| Poland Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 115 | Open |
| Town of Ashfield Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 74 | Closed |
| Ashfield Community Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 40 | Open |
| Swift River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Ashfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ashfield
Ashfield Town BeachIn Belding Memorial Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ashfield
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Ashfield
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Ashfield
Apple Valley OverlookIn Bear Swamp
DirectionsOrchard View
DirectionsPeaks in Ashfield
Peter Hill1,827 ft elevation
DirectionsBug Hill1,755 ft elevation
DirectionsBrier Hill1,739 ft elevation
DirectionsSeventy Six Hill1,739 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Mountain1,529 ft elevation
DirectionsPaddy Hill1,480 ft elevation
DirectionsMill Hill1,427 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Owen1,335 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Chapel Ledge1,286 ft elevation · In Chapel Brook
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 16.2 mi
Ashfield Trail3.2 mi
Overlook to Stroheker Road Trail2.4 mi
Peter Hill Trail2.2 mi
Two Bridges Trail1.7 mi
Moose Run1.6 mi
Hootenanny1.6 mi
D.A.R. Trail1.5 mi
North-South Trail1.2 mi
Lookout Trail0.7 mi
Chapel Brook to DAR Trail0.7 mi
8 more trails
Beaver Brook Trail
0.6 miFern Glade Trail
0.6 miBailey Rd to Beldingville Rd Trail
0.4 miPebble Trail
0.4 miSummit Trail
0.3 miApple Valley Overlook Trail
0.2 miOrchard View Overlook Trail
0.1 miClimbers Trail
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
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Soccer
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Ashfield Plain Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ashfield: 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Ashfield →
Next door
Ashfield and its neighbors
Ashfield has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashfield | 20% | 1.1 | 714 | 41% | A |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Plainfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Conway | 32% | 1.6 | 2,118 | 47% | A |
| Cummington | — 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 Ashfield
Where can I hike in Ashfield?
The longest trail networks: Bear Swamp, 3.6 miles; Chapel Brook, 2.1 miles; Bullitt Reservation, 0.8 miles; Poland Brook Wildlife Management Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ashfield is conserved land?
20% of its land, against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ashfield’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Bear Swamp (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ashfield?
74,135 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ashfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,631 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ashfield have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Ashfield 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 →