Patch Hill Conservation Area
Nature preserve
234 acres4.3 mi of trail
BlueYellowRedred+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Boxborough
18% of Boxborough’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. 34 miles of mapped trail cross Boxborough, 3.3 per square mile of land. 1,510 acres are parks and preserves, 275 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #14 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,215 acres · of 10.3 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,510 ac
275 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
456 ft
Flagg Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Boxborough?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Boxborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boxborough is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #14 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Boxborough near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Boxborough’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land275 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,510 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 95%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Boxborough’s 18% is ahead of 37% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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 Patch Hill Conservation Area, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Steele Farm
Nature preserve
100 acres2.8 mi of trail
redblueyellow
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Have Not Pond Conservation Area
Nature preserve
68 acres2.2 mi of trail
Hager TrailCharlene Golden TrailFisk Wood
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wolf Swamp Conservation Land
Nature preserve
231 acres2 mi of trail
YellowBlueredRed
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hager Land
Nature preserve
119 acres2 mi of trail
blueyellowBlueRed
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Flagg Hill Conservation Area
Nature preserve
77 acres1.5 mi of trail
redblueRedBlue
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rolling Meadows
Nature preserve
41 acres1.5 mi of trail
yellowblueYellowred
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort Pond Brook
Nature preserve
59 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 27 parks & preserves
Patch Hill Conservation Area234 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSteele Farm100 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsHave Not Pond Conservation Area68 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWolf Swamp Conservation Land231 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsHager Land119 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsFlagg Hill Conservation Area77 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRolling Meadows41 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Pond Brook59 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Brook Meadow35 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Brook Valley Preserve68 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Panek Conservation Restriction51 acres · 1 mi of trail · Boxborough Conservation Trust
DirectionsCisco Campus Conservation Restriction109 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Campanelli
DirectionsFlerra Meadows35 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPerkins Woods20 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Sudbury Valley Trustees
DirectionsHalf Moon Meadow45 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsShurtleff Woods Conservation Area14 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Inches Woods25 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsElizabeth Brook Knoll16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHager Meadow Conservation Area28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Heath Hen Meadow Conservation Area52 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBoxborough Station Wildlife Management Area13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Meadow63 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrady Conservation Preserve20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Pettingel Park12 acres
Hartwell Sanctuary10 acres
Biotti Land7 acres
DirectionsHalf Moon Meadow Brook3 acres
Who protects it
1,215 conserved acres
18% of Boxborough’s land. Who manages Boxborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city605 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits280 ac
Private owners84 ac
Other state land72 ac
Joint35 ac
Not recorded580 ac
Conservation Easement · 574 acPrivate Conservation · 321 acLocal Other or Unknown · 312 acLocal Conservation Area · 189 acAgricultural Easement · 131 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 295 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 82 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Sportsmens Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 181 | Restricted |
| Patch Hill Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 153 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 95 | Open |
| Beaver Brook Valley Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 67 | Open |
| Heath Hen Meadow Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 53 | Restricted |
| Delaney Flood Control Site State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 49 | Open |
| Indian Meadow Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 48 | Open |
| Rolling Meadows Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 41 | Restricted |
| Dillon Pasture Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 36 | Closed |
| Beaver Brook Meadows Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 35 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Boxborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Boxborough
Swymfit
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Boxborough
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Boxborough
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Boxborough
pond viewIn Hager Land
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Boxborough
Flagg Hill456 ft elevation · In Flagg Hill Conservation Area
DirectionsPatch HillIn Patch Hill Conservation Area
DirectionsPicnic areas in Boxborough
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Boxborough
Flerra Meadows Community Garden BoxboroughIn Steele Farm
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.0 mi
red3.5 mi
Yellow3.4 mi
Blue3.0 mi
blue3.0 mi
yellow2.8 mi
Red1.9 mi
Hager Trail1.3 mi
Beaver Brook Valley Preserve (Esker)1.0 mi
Helen Volkmann Trail0.6 mi
Beaver Brook Preserve (Esker)0.6 mi
4 more trails
Charlene Golden Trail
0.5 miPaddock Trail
0.3 miFisk Wood
0.3 miTrail Ridge Connector
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
4Tennis
4Pickleball
3Basketball
3Baseball
2Soccer
1Volleyball
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 Boxborough: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Boxborough →
Next door
Boxborough and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Boxborough
Where can I hike in Boxborough?
The longest trail networks: Patch Hill Conservation Area, 4.3 miles; Steele Farm, 2.8 miles; Have Not Pond Conservation Area, 2.2 miles; Wolf Swamp Conservation Land, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Boxborough is conserved land?
18% 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 Boxborough’s trails?
Patch Hill Conservation Area and Steele Farm don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Boxborough?
50,344 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boxborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,561 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Boxborough have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Boxborough 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 →