Nickerson State Park
Nature preserve
2,000 acres38 mi of trail
Cliff Pond TrailLittle Cliff Pond TrailFlax Pond PathHiggin's Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Stony Brook-Factory Village Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Brewster
Brewster has 107 miles of mapped trails, 4.7 for every square mile of land
29% of Brewster’s land is conserved, about 4,259 acres. 2,574 acres are parks and preserves, 247 per 1,000 residents. 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #14 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
4,259 acres · of 22.9 sq mi of land
Trails
107 mi
4.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,574 ac
247 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
13 mi paths
Highest peak
541 ft
Deer Park Hill
Lakes & rivers
39
25 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brewster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brewster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brewster is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #14 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Brewster near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brewster’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails4.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (107 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land247 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,574 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home99% 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 95%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Brewster’s 29% is ahead of 70% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
Water is 10% of Brewster’s area (3 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 26%.
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 Nickerson State Park, with 38 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sheep Pond Woodlands
Nature preserve
79 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bates Cr
Nature preserve
37 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wing Island
Nature preserve
32 acres0.8 mi of trail
John Wing TrailSecret Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Freemans Way Woodlands
Nature preserve
27 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Spruce Hill
Nature preserve
25 acres0.6 mi of trail
Spruce Hill
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Crowe's Pasture/Quivett Creek Marsh
Nature preserve
190 acres0.4 mi of trail
John Wing Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cape Cod Sea Camps
Managed by Town of Brewster
55 acres0.4 mi of trail
Spruce Hill
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 68 parks & preserves
Nickerson State Park2,000 acres · 38 mi of trail
DirectionsSheep Pond Woodlands79 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBates Cr37 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Wing Island32 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Freemans Way Woodlands27 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Spruce Hill25 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCrowe's Pasture/Quivett Creek Marsh190 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCape Cod Sea Camps55 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Brewster
DirectionsCape Cod Rail Trail63 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsTown Land14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
McGuery Road Conservation Area10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Brewster
Former Camp Wono68 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Brewster
Thompson14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Camp Barney Conservation Area11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Brewster Conservation Trust
Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHerring Run Site3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLong Pond Road Conservation Area14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Brewster
Whitegate Farm Conservtion Area8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Brewster
Pine Pond4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Stony Brook38 acres · Town of Brewster
Belmont Park32 acres
Eddy Property31 acres
DirectionsRead Kingsbury Conservation Area26 acres · Town of Brewster
Quivett Creek Marsh23 acres
Mitchell Lane21 acres
Drummer Boy Park20 acres
Arthur15 acres
DirectionsClay Hole Road Conservation Area11 acres · Town of Brewster
Barclay11 acres
Millstone Road9 acres
Belmont Park - East9 acres
Pleasant Court Open Space8 acres
Clay Hole Woodland8 acres · Brewster Conservation Trust
Crowells Bog Road8 acres
Doyle Lot6 acres
Rione6 acres
Brier Lane6 acres
Elbow Pond6 acres
Linclau - East6 acres
Alden Drive Conservation Area6 acres · Brewster Conservation Trust
Hart Lot5 acres
Rafe's Pond Property4 acres
Clay Hole Road Woodlands4 acres
Ellis Landing4 acres
DirectionsSmith Pond Frontage4 acres
Shorewood Drive Conservation Area3 acres
Ellis3 acres
Linclau - West3 acres
Windmill Meadows3 acres
Eldredge3 acres
Price Lot3 acres
Lazarus2 acres
Blueberry Pond Conser. Area2 acres
Poverty Hill Conservation Trust2 acres · Brewster Conservation Trust
Nickerson2 acres
DirectionsRed Top2 acres
Hinckleys Pond Conservation Restriction1 acres
Thad Ellis Natural Heritage Area1 acres
Stonehedge1 acres
DirectionsPaine Lot1 acres
DirectionsSeymour Pond Frontage1 acres
Buggy Whip Road Cr1 acres
Buggy Whip Road And Wild Pond Cr1 acres
Hooper Lot1 acres
Robinson Lot1 acres
Davis Land1 acres
Doherty Lot1 acres
Shaw Lot1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,259 conserved acres
29% of Brewster’s land. Water is left out: Brewster has 22.9 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Brewster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,252 ac
Town or city743 ac
State parks205 ac
State conservation195 ac
Regional Water Districts48 ac
Joint37 ac
Private owners3 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,257 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,513 acWatershed Protection Area · 568 acState Park · 493 acPrivate Conservation · 308 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,108 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 20 of 467 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickerson State Park State Park | Not recorded | 548 | Open |
| Town of Brewster Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 509 | Open |
| Brewster Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 407 | Unknown |
| The Captains Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 302 | Restricted |
| Namskaket Marsh Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Punkhorn Parklands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 108 | Open |
| Punkhorn Water - South Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 103 | Open |
| Cape Cod National Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 68 | Restricted |
| Cape Cod Rail Trail State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 61 | Open |
| Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 58 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
52 places to go in Brewster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Brewster
Crosby Landing Beach
DirectionsEllis Landing Beach
DirectionsPaine's Creek Beach
DirectionsPoint of Rocks Landing Beach
DirectionsRobbins Hill Beach
DirectionsRobbins Hill Beach
DirectionsRobbins Hill Beach
DirectionsPlus 18 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Brewster
Nickerson Park PlaygroundIn Nickerson State Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Brewster
Brewster Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Brewster
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Brewster
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Brewster
Deer Park Hill541 ft elevation · In Nickerson State Park
DirectionsTawasentha Hill56 ft elevation
DirectionsGrassy Nook20 ft elevation · In Nickerson State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Brewster
Picnick AreaIn Nickerson State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Brewster
Camping Area 1In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 2In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 3In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 4In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 5In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 6In Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsCamping Area 6XIn Nickerson State Park · DCR
DirectionsNauset Academy - Youth Forestry CampIn Nickerson State Park · Eliot Community Health Services
Directions2 more campgrounds
Shady Knoll Campground
DirectionsSweetwater Forest Family Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 39 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 20.0 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 40.7 mi
Cliff Pond Trail2.8 mi
Little Cliff Pond Trail1.4 mi
Flax Pond Path1.3 mi
Higgin's Pond Trail1.3 mi
John Wing Trail0.9 mi
Eddy Bay Trail0.7 mi
Woods Loop0.4 mi
Spruce Hill0.4 mi
Deep Punkhorn Path0.4 mi
Dirt path0.3 mi
1 more trails
Secret Path
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Black PondBlueberry PondpondCahoon PondpondCanoe PondpondCliff PondlakeCobbs PondpondEel PondpondElbow PondpondFlax PondpondFreemans PondpondGrassy Nook PondpondGreenland PondpondGriffiths PondpondHiggin's PondpondKeeler's PondpondLee's PondpondLittle Cliff PondpondLong PondpondLower Mill PondpondMill PondpondMyricks PondpondNo Bottom PondpondOwl PondpondPine PondpondRafe PondpondRound PondpondRuth PondpondSalls PondpondSchoolhouse PondpondSheep PondpondSlough PondpondSmalls PondpondSmith PondpondTriangle PondpondUpper Mill PondpondVesper PondpondWalkers PondpondWidger HolepondStony Brook
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Tennis
8Baseball
7Pickleball
3Soccer
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Brewster: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 40 | 45 | 54 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 78 | 71 | 62 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (2.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Brewster →
Next door
Brewster and its neighbors
Brewster has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brewster107 miHarwich73 miDennis53 miNorthwest Harwich34 miEast Harwich31 miOrleans25 miEast Dennis14 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewster | 29% | 4.7 | 247 | 99% | A+ |
| Dennis | 26% | 2.6 | 85 | 99%+ | A+ |
| East Dennis | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Orleans | 32% | 1.7 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Harwich | 19% | 3.5 | 114 | 95% | A+ |
| East Harwich | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northwest Harwich | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brewster
Where can I hike in Brewster?
The longest trail networks: Nickerson State Park, 38 miles; Sheep Pond Woodlands, 1.2 miles; Bates Cr, 0.8 miles; Wing Island, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brewster 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 Brewster’s trails?
Nickerson State Park and Sheep Pond Woodlands don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brewster?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brewster?
19,352 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brewster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,184 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brewster 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 Brewster 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 →