Brimfield State Forest
Nature preserve
1,789 acres17 mi of trail
Summit TrailHemlock Gorge TrailMt. Waddaquaduck TrailDean Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brimfield Center Historic District · Photo: Daderot · CC0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brimfield
Brimfield has 1,106 acres of parks, 299 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Brimfield’s land is conserved, about 3,135 acres. The biggest trail networks: Brimfield State Forest (17 mi). 27 miles of mapped trail cross Brimfield, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #256 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
3,135 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,106 ac
299 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
3.5 mi lanes · 3.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,204 ft
Steerage Rock
Lakes & rivers
12
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Brimfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brimfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brimfield is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #256 of 283 in Massachusetts. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brimfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land299 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,106 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home46% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 10%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Brimfield’s 14% is ahead of 20% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 12% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Brimfield State Forest, with 17 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brown Cons Area (Abijah Lot)
Nature preserve
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
East Brimfield Lake Flood Risk Management Project
Nature preserve
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John W. Brown Cons. Area
Nature preserve
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Brimfield State Forest1,789 acres · 17 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Common3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrown Cons Area (Abijah Lot)25 acres
East Brimfield Lake Flood Risk Management Project10 acres
DirectionsJohn W. Brown Cons. Area4 acres
Quaboag River Cons. Area4 acres
Little Alum Lake Dam Area1 acres
Who protects it
3,135 conserved acres
14% of Brimfield’s land. Who manages Brimfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits769 ac
Other state land351 ac
State parks131 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)90 ac
Town or city32 ac
Not recorded2,431 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,084 acConservation Easement · 869 acAgricultural Easement · 441 acPrivate Conservation · 244 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 90 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 698 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 60 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brimfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,084 | Open |
| Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 244 | Unknown |
| Post 430 Sportsmens Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 85 | Restricted |
| Steerage Rock Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 31 | Open |
| Brimfield Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 15 | Open |
| Center Elementary School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
| John W Brown Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Hitchcock Academy Athletic Fields Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Haynes Hill Road Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Degregorio Cons. Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Brimfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brimfield
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Brimfield
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Brimfield
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Brimfield
Steerage Rock1,204 ft elevation
DirectionsTower Hill1,102 ft elevation
DirectionsDearth Hill1,073 ft elevation · In Brimfield State Forest
DirectionsSouth Nichols Mountain1,017 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Nichols Mountain965 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Mountain961 ft elevation
DirectionsCooks Mountain938 ft elevation
DirectionsHaynes Hill883 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Janes Hill863 ft elevation
DirectionsFenton Mountain850 ft elevation
DirectionsChamberlin Mountain846 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Hill820 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Brimfield
Quinebaug Cove
DirectionsVillage Green Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 2.5 mi
Wales Brook Trail0.7 mi
Summit Trail0.7 mi
Grand Trunk Trail0.7 mi
Hemlock Gorge Trail0.7 mi
Dean Pond Trail0.3 mi
Mt. Waddaquaduck Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
6.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Brimfield Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brimfield: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Brimfield →
Next door
Brimfield and its neighbors
Brimfield has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brimfield | 14% | 0.8 | 299 | 46% | A− |
| Palmer Town | 17% | 0.4 | 187 | 71% | A |
| Warren | 6% | 0.1 | 57 | 54% | B |
| Monson | 18% | 0.5 | 346 | 62% | A |
| Wales | 47% | 1.3 | 1,788 | 98% | A+ |
| Holland | 21% | 0.8 | 707 | 77% | A |
| Sturbridge | 29% | 2.2 | 520 | 76% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brimfield
Where can I hike in Brimfield?
The longest trail networks: Brimfield State Forest, 17 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brimfield is conserved land?
14% 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 Brimfield’s trails?
Brimfield State Forest and Brown Cons Area (Abijah Lot) don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brimfield?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes and 3.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brimfield?
40,700 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brimfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,171 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brimfield have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #256 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 Brimfield 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 →