Lone Tree Conservation Area
Nature preserve
97 acres3.6 mi of trail
Meadow Edge TrailHillside TrailRed Maple TrailNorth Cottage Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Belmont
17% of Belmont’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Belmont, 3.5 per square mile of land. 17% of Belmont’s land is conserved, about 495 acres.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #152 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
495 acres · of 4.6 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
3.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
371 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
7.1 mi lanes · 0.7 mi paths
Highest peak
299 ft
Wellington Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Belmont?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Belmont have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Belmont is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #152 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Belmont’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (371 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 46%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Belmont’s 17% is ahead of 30% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 84% 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 Lone Tree Conservation Area, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
81 acres3.6 mi of trail
Highland Farm LoopTurtle Pond LoopMeadow TrailRed Maple Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Rock Meadow Conservation Area
Nature preserve
71 acres1.6 mi of trail
Western Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beaver Brook North Reservation
Nature preserve
53 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Beaver Brook Reservation
Nature preserve
16 acres0.6 mi of trail
Brookside TrailKendall Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cambridge Reservoir Park
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 14 parks & preserves
Lone Tree Conservation Area97 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHabitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary81 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRock Meadow Conservation Area71 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Brook North Reservation53 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Grove Street Park10 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Brook Reservation16 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsClay Pit Pond Park21 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCambridge Reservoir Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFormer McLean Farm5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsUnderwood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPeqoussette Park7 acres
DirectionsTown Field5 acres
Payson Park2 acres
Common Street Grounds1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
495 conserved acres
17% of Belmont’s land. Who manages Belmont’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits288 ac
Town or city174 ac
Other state land19 ac
State conservation6 ac
State parks6 ac
Not recorded265 ac
Conservation Easement · 156 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 141 acLocal Conservation Area · 126 acUnknown Easement · 122 acResearch or Educational Area · 49 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 50 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 141 | Restricted |
| Mclean Hospital Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| High School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Little Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 19 | Open |
| Alewife Brook Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| Beaver Brook Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 15 | Open |
| Belmont Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Cambridge Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 11 | Restricted |
| Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 11 | Restricted |
| Grove Street Playground Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Belmont
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Belmont
Spray DeckIn Beaver Brook Reservation
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Belmont
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Belmont
Plympton Mill RemainsIn Beaver Brook Reservation
DirectionsPeaks in Belmont
Wellington Hill299 ft elevation · In Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
DirectionsPicnic areas in Belmont
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miUnpaved · 14.1 mi
Western Greenway0.8 mi
Highland Farm Loop0.7 mi
Red Maple Trail0.5 mi
Turtle Pond Loop0.4 mi
Meadow Edge Trail0.4 mi
Hillside Trail0.3 mi
Highland Meadow Trail0.3 mi
Border Trail0.3 mi
Meadow Trail0.2 mi
North Cottage Trail0.2 mi
15 more trails
Brookside Trail
0.2 miEastern Woods Trail
0.2 miLone Tree Trail
0.2 miEdge Trail
0.2 miWeeks Pond Trail
0.2 miPitch Pine Trail
0.2 miElisha's Trail
0.2 miPine Allee
0.2 miFern Trail
0.1 miWeeks Meadow Trail
0.1 miLilac Circle
0.1 miKendall Path
0.1 miUpland Trail
0.1 miLower Meadow Trail
0.1 miOverlook Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
31Tennis
18Soccer
13Baseball
9Basketball
4Pickleball
4Football
1Tracks
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Belmont: 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) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Belmont →
Next door
Belmont and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Belmont
Where can I hike in Belmont?
The longest trail networks: Lone Tree Conservation Area, 3.6 miles; Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary, 3.6 miles; Rock Meadow Conservation Area, 1.6 miles; Beaver Brook North Reservation, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Belmont 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 Belmont’s trails?
Lone Tree Conservation Area and Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Belmont?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of painted or protected lanes, 0.7 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Belmont?
36,991 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Belmont or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 399 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Belmont have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #152 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 Belmont 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 →