Hopkinton State Park
Nature preserve
454 acres9.2 mi of trail
Long TrailOvalCaesarPepperbush+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ashland
Ashland has 42 miles of mapped trails, 3.4 for every square mile of land
17% of Ashland’s land is conserved, about 1,371 acres. 1,114 acres are parks and preserves, 59 per 1,000 residents. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #115 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,371 acres · of 12.3 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,114 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 1.4 mi paths
Highest peak
433 ft
Wildcat Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ashland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ashland is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #115 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ashland’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,114 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 60%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Ashland’s 17% is ahead of 33% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Hopkinton State Park, with 9.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ashland State Park
Nature preserve
256 acres6.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sudbury River Access
Nature preserve
54 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ashland Pumping Station
Nature preserve
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Hopkinton State Park454 acres · 9.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAshland State Park256 acres · 6.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSudbury River Access54 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsAshland Pumping Station7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Stone Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSudbury River Park 23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Street Lot21 acres
Pout Rock18 acres
Rocco Parcel18 acres
Gryncel Park8 acres
DirectionsAbandoned Pumping Station5 acres
Ashland Arboretum3 acres · Town of Ashland
DirectionsAbandoned Well2 acres
Who protects it
1,371 conserved acres
17% of Ashland’s land. Who manages Ashland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city271 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits191 ac
Private owners58 ac
Not recorded977 ac
State Park · 603 acConservation Easement · 240 acLocal Other or Unknown · 165 acPrivate Conservation · 141 acResearch or Educational Area · 93 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 58 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkinton State Park State Park | Not recorded | 452 | Unknown |
| Ashland State Park State Park | Not recorded | 151 | Unknown |
| Warren Woods Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 98 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Private owners | 69 | Open |
| Sudbury Reservoir Watershed State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Open |
| Ashland High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 38 | Restricted |
| Boy Scouts Land Private Conservation | Not recorded | 32 | Restricted |
| 4-H Center Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Restricted |
| Ashland Fish And Game Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Restricted |
| Unspecified Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Ashland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ashland
Hopkinton Main BeachIn Hopkinton State Park
DirectionsHopkinton Reservoir BeachIn Hopkinton State Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ashland
Starlight Village Playground
DirectionsStone Park PlaygroundIn Stone Park
DirectionsWarren School PlayGround
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ashland
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ashland
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ashland
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Ashland
Wildcat Hill433 ft elevation
DirectionsMagunco Hill407 ft elevation
DirectionsZachary Hill358 ft elevation
DirectionsBanner Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsFish Hill302 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ashland
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 13.2 mi
Bay Circuit Trail2.5 mi
Long Trail1.3 mi
Red Diamond1.2 mi
Yellow Diamond1.1 mi
Blue Diamond1.0 mi
Riverwalk0.7 mi
Field Trail0.7 mi
Green Diamond0.5 mi
America Trail0.5 mi
Dike Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Old Orchard Trail
0.4 miOval
0.4 miCaesar
0.3 miPepperbush
0.3 miOak St. Access Trail
0.3 miAiken's Trail
0.3 miSir Walter Trail
0.2 miQuarry
0.2 miHardwood
0.2 miCow Crossing Trail
0.2 miUpland Trail
0.2 miBeach
0.2 miBoulder Trail
0.1 miHolly Lane Trail
0.1 miOld Stone Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Baseball
9Soccer
9Tennis
6Pickleball
4Basketball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Ashland: April 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Ashland →
Next door
Ashland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 17% | 3.4 | 59 | 94% | A+ |
| Cordaville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Southborough | 35% | 2.3 | 72 | 74% | A+ |
| Hopkinton | 23% | 4.0 | 158 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Framingham | 21% | 2.8 | 26 | 98% | A+ |
| Sherborn | 23% | 3.5 | 497 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ashland
Where can I hike in Ashland?
The longest trail networks: Hopkinton State Park, 9.2 miles; Ashland State Park, 6.9 miles; Sudbury River Access, 0.8 miles; Ashland Pumping Station, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ashland is conserved land?
17% 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 Ashland’s trails?
Hopkinton State Park and Ashland State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ashland?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.4 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ashland?
44,103 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ashland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,316 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #115 of 283 in Massachusetts. 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 Ashland 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 →