Ware River Watershed
Nature preserve
5,427 acres12.6 mi of trail
Midstate Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Pvmoutside at English Wikipedia · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Barre
41% of Barre’s land is conserved: 11,593 acres
4,223 acres are parks and preserves, 758 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Ware River Watershed (12.6 mi), Cooks Canyon (1.7 mi), Prince River Wildlife Management Area (0.9 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Barre, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #200 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
41%
11,593 acres · of 44.3 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,223 ac
758 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
7.5 mi paths
Highest peak
1,257 ft
Hawes Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Barre?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Barre have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Barre is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #200 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Barre’s overall grade.
Conserved land41% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land758 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,223 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home68% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 29%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Barre’s 41% is ahead of 91% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 8% 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 Ware River Watershed, with 12.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cooks Canyon
Nature preserve
57 acres1.7 mi of trail
Cook's Canyon TrailWildwood TrailGalloway Brook TrailLink Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Prince River Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
610 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barre Falls Project Area
Nature preserve
174 acres0.9 mi of trail
Midstate Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Prince River Preserve
Nature preserve
72 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
514 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barre Falls Wildlife Management Area
Managed by MassWildlife
267 acres0.4 mi of trail
Midstate Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jacob Riis Farm
Nature preserve
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Ware River Watershed5,427 acres · 12.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCooks Canyon57 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPrince River Wildlife Management Area610 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Barre Falls Project Area174 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsPrince River Preserve72 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMoose Brook Wildlife Management Area514 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Barre Falls Wildlife Management Area267 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · MassWildlife
Jacob Riis Farm19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Common6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRaccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area428 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
The Cross18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary916 acres
Phillipston Wildlife Management Area229 acres
Carter Pond Wildlife Conservation Easement88 acres
Ware River Access50 acres
Quabbin Reservoir Reservation26 acres · DCR - Division Of Water Supply Protection
Felton Field25 acres
Rocking Stone Park24 acres
Williams Woods12 acres
DirectionsBarre Falls Flood Control Area1 acres
Who protects it
11,593 conserved acres
41% of Barre’s land. Who manages Barre’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,700 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,126 ac
State natural resources734 ac
Town or city492 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)371 ac
State conservation299 ac
State fish & wildlife201 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 5,360 acState Conservation Area · 2,694 acConservation Easement · 2,012 acAgricultural Easement · 1,955 acPrivate Conservation · 892 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,100 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 147 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware River Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 5,086 | Restricted |
| Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 885 | Open |
| Prince River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 798 | Open |
| Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 789 | Restricted |
| Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 515 | Open |
| Barre Falls Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 261 | Restricted |
| Phillipston Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 235 | Open |
| Barre State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 180 | Open |
| DCR Division of Water Supply Protection 1 Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 133 | Closed |
| Quabbin Regional High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 126 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Barre
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Barre
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Barre
Ware riverIn Ware River Watershed
DirectionsPeaks in Barre
Hawes Hill1,257 ft elevation
DirectionsBabbitt Hill1,234 ft elevation · In Prince River Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsAllen Hill1,227 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pleasant1,109 ft elevation
DirectionsRidge Hill1,096 ft elevation
DirectionsFarrow Hill1,086 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill978 ft elevation
DirectionsHarding Hill955 ft elevation · In Ware River Watershed
Directions1 more peak
Raccoon Hill942 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Barre
Barre Falls Dam Disc GolfIn Barre Falls Project Area
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miUnpaved · 8.6 mi
Midstate Trail1.4 mi
Cook's Canyon Trail0.9 mi
Wildwood Trail0.4 mi
Galloway Brook Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
7.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Soccer
5Tracks
4Tennis
3Baseball
3Basketball
2Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Barre: 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) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Barre →
Next door
Barre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barre | 41% | 0.6 | 758 | 68% | A |
| Hubbardston | 46% | 0.8 | 446 | 54% | A |
| Oakham | 39% | 1.2 | 1,152 | 57% | A |
| Rutland | 46% | 0.9 | 148 | 36% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Barre
Where can I hike in Barre?
The longest trail networks: Ware River Watershed, 12.6 miles; Cooks Canyon, 1.7 miles; Prince River Wildlife Management Area, 0.9 miles; Barre Falls Project Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Barre is conserved land?
41% 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 Barre’s trails?
Ware River Watershed and Cooks Canyon don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Barre?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Barre?
48,313 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Barre or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,494 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Barre have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #200 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 Barre 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 →