Mount Pisgah Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Northborough Conservation Commission
293 acres4.8 mi of trail
Tyler TrailBall Hill TrailNorth Gorge Trail (red)North Gorge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Berlin
Berlin has 35 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
1,242 acres are parks and preserves, 368 per 1,000 residents. 29% of Berlin’s land is conserved, about 2,424 acres. 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #31 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
2,424 acres · of 13.0 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,242 ac
368 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.6 mi paths
Highest peak
640 ft
Barnes Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Berlin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 96% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild29% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam368 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Berlin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Berlin is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #31 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 Berlin’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land368 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,242 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 89%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Berlin’s 29% is ahead of 70% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 71% 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 Mount Pisgah Conservation Area, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ross Flood Control Site
Managed by DCR - Division Of State Parks And Recreation
206 acres4.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Garfield Woods
Nature preserve
83 acres1.2 mi of trail
RedMountain Laurel Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clark Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Berlin Conservation Commission
73 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wendler Conservation Restriction
Managed by Town of Bolton
30 acres0.4 mi of trail
Mountain Laurel Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Devine Conservation Restriction
Managed by SVT
22 acres0.3 mi of trail
Devine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Mount Pisgah Conservation Area293 acres · 4.8 mi of trail · Town of Northborough Conservation Commission
Ross Flood Control Site206 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · DCR - Division Of State Parks And Recreation
DirectionsGarfield Woods83 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Clark Conservation Area73 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Berlin Conservation Commission
DirectionsWendler Conservation Restriction30 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Bolton
Devine Conservation Restriction22 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · SVT
DirectionsBall Hill Road Conservation Area78 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Berlin
DirectionsBobbie Acres25 acres
Cadagan Conservation7 acres
Who protects it
2,424 conserved acres
29% of Berlin’s land. Who manages Berlin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,649 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits555 ac
State parks203 ac
Other state land104 ac
Not recorded705 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,284 acLocal Other or Unknown · 669 acAgricultural Easement · 394 acState Resource Management Area · 292 acWatershed Protection Area · 270 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 967 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 130 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates Pond Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 265 | Unknown |
| Ross Flood Control Site State Resource Management Area | State parks | 203 | Open |
| Mount Pisgah Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 158 | Open |
| Ball Hill Road Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 85 | Open |
| Clark Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 71 | Open |
| Sawyer/Niedzial Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Crystal Springs Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 48 | Closed |
| Musche Woods Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Wachusett Aqueduct Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 45 | Closed |
| Devine Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 43 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Berlin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Berlin
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Berlin
North ViewIn Mount Pisgah Conservation Area
DirectionsPeaks in Berlin
Barnes Hill640 ft elevation
DirectionsPeach Hill591 ft elevation
DirectionsWheeler Hill505 ft elevation
DirectionsCoburn Hill495 ft elevation
DirectionsReubens Hill472 ft elevation
DirectionsPowderhouse Hill400 ft elevation
DirectionsSawyer Hill364 ft elevation
DirectionsSawyer Hill
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Berlin
Berlin Community GardenBerlin Agricultural Commission
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.2 miHorses · 1.3 miUnpaved · 23.6 mi
Great Oak Farm Trail1.1 mi
Mountain Laurel Trail1.0 mi
Red0.8 mi
Tyler Trail0.7 mi
Linwood Loop0.6 mi
Ball Hill Trail0.6 mi
North Gorge Trail (red)0.5 mi
North Gorge Trail0.5 mi
Berlin RoadTrail0.5 mi
Devine Trail0.4 mi
12 more trails
Berlin Road Trail
0.4 miHickory Trail
0.3 miTrail
0.3 miReubens Hill Trail
0.2 miBerlin Road Trail (red)
0.2 miBoylston Road Trail
0.1 miTrail (yellow)
0.1 miTyler Trail (yellow)
0.1 miGreat Meadows Trail
0.1 miFrog Pond Trail
0.1 mitrail (yellow)
0.1 miWheeler Pond Footpath
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
3Baseball
3Tennis
2Basketball
1Golf
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Berlin: 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Berlin →
Next door
Berlin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 29% | 2.7 | 368 | 97% | A+ |
| Clinton | 19% | 1.8 | 9 | 99% | A |
| Hudson | 14% | 1.9 | 24 | 95% | A |
| Marlborough | 19% | 2.8 | 35 | 95% | A+ |
| Bolton | 29% | 3.2 | 358 | 88% | A+ |
| Northborough | 23% | 2.3 | 102 | 92% | A+ |
| Boylston | 40% | 2.5 | 125 | 44% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Berlin
Where can I hike in Berlin?
The longest trail networks: Mount Pisgah Conservation Area, 4.8 miles; Ross Flood Control Site, 4.1 miles; Garfield Woods, 1.2 miles; Clark Conservation Area, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Berlin is conserved land?
29% 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 Berlin’s trails?
Mount Pisgah Conservation Area and Ross Flood Control Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Berlin?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Berlin?
37,416 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Berlin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,470 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Berlin have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 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 Berlin 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 →