Brookline Reservoir Park
Park
32 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Pesotsky · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Brookline
20% of Brookline’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 Brookline, 2.4 per square mile of land. 20% of Brookline’s land is conserved, about 861 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #199 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
861 acres · of 6.8 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
413 ac
6.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
32 mi
23 mi lanes · 3.4 mi paths
Highest peak
328 ft
Single Tree Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Brookline?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild20% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 95% of U.S. towns.History along the way95 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brookline have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brookline is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #199 of 283 in Massachusetts. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brookline’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land6.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (413 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13C+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 92%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 30%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Brookline’s 20% is ahead of 45% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 61% 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 Brookline Reservoir Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Larz Anderson Park
Managed by Town of Brookline Parks and Recreation Department
60 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dane Park
Park
14 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
D. Blakeley Hoar Sanctuary
Managed by Brookline Conservation Commission
25 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lost Pond Reservation
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation
32 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lost Pond Sanctuary
Managed by City of Brookline
26 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hall's Pond Sanctuary
Nature preserve
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 43 parks & preserves
Brookline Reservoir Park32 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Skyline Park27 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsLarz Anderson Park60 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Brookline Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsDane Park14 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
D. Blakeley Hoar Sanctuary25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Brookline Conservation Commission
DirectionsLost Pond Reservation32 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation
Lost Pond Sanctuary26 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Brookline
Hall's Pond Sanctuary3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHammond Pond Parkway29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOlmsted Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Boston and Town of Brookline
DirectionsRiverway15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Boston Parks Department;Town of Brookline Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsDaniel W. Warren, Jr. Playground11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAmory Playground9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPierce School Playground2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHarry Downes Field9 acres · Town Of Brookline
DirectionsFrederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site7 acres · National Park Service
Jean B. Waldstein Playground5 acres
DirectionsCypress Street Playground5 acres
DirectionsLongwood Playground5 acres
Corey Hill Park4 acres
Brookline Avenue Playground3 acres
DirectionsGriggs Park3 acres · Town of Brookline
DirectionsKnyvet Square3 acres
DirectionsSingle Tree Hill Reservoir3 acres
DirectionsLongwood Mall2 acres
DirectionsMargaret E. Robinson Playground2 acres
Cottage Street Preserve2 acres · Brookline Conservation Land Trust
DirectionsEmerson Garden2 acres
DirectionsWinthrop Square2 acres
DirectionsWest Roxbury Parkway2 acres
Amory Woods2 acres · Town of Brookline Conservation Commission
DirectionsJudge Sumner Z. Kaplan Park1 acres
DirectionsLittle Field Park1 acres
DirectionsBoylston Street Playground1 acres · Town of Brookline
DirectionsMason Square1 acres
DirectionsWalnut Place Conservation Restriction1 acres
Sargent Beechwood Nature Walk1 acres · Brookline Conservation Land Trust
Clark Playground1 acres
Lotta Bradburn Schick Park1 acres
DirectionsLawton Playground1 acres
Friedman Park1 acres · Brookline Conservation Land Trust
Dudley Triangle1 acres
Horace James Circle1 acres
Who protects it
861 conserved acres
20% of Brookline’s land. Who manages Brookline’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city305 ac
State parks32 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits24 ac
National Park Service6 ac
Private owners2 ac
Not recorded546 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 231 acLocal Other or Unknown · 209 acLocal Park · 170 acConservation Easement · 101 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 61 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 231 | Restricted |
| Putterham Meadow Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 129 | Restricted |
| Larz Anderson Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Walnut Hills Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 46 | Open |
| Holyhood Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 36 | Unknown |
| Lost Pond Reservation State Resource Management Area | State parks | 32 | Open |
| Brookline Reservoir Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Skyline Park Local Park | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| Lost Pond Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 26 | Restricted |
| Hammond Pond Parkway State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
64 places to go in Brookline
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brookline
Billy Ward Playground
DirectionsCoolidge PlaygroundIn Judge Sumner Z. Kaplan Park
DirectionsDaniel F. Ford PlaygroundIn Emerson Garden
DirectionsJohn E. Murphy Playground
Directions51 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Brookline
Amory Playground Green Dog ParkIn Amory Playground
DirectionsLarz Anderson Park Green Dog ParkIn Larz Anderson Park
DirectionsScenic views in Brookline
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Brookline
Single Tree Hill328 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Walley299 ft elevation
DirectionsFisher Hill266 ft elevation
DirectionsCorey Hill262 ft elevation · In Corey Hill Park
DirectionsAspinwall Hill243 ft elevation · In Lotta Bradburn Schick Park
DirectionsWalnut Hill207 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Brookline
Minot Rose GardenIn Winthrop Square
DirectionsSchool Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 3.0 mi
Trochulus Path0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
32 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
23 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
5.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
64Tennis
25Basketball
16Baseball
10Soccer
4Multi-sport
4Football
3Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →95 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 15 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Frederick Law Olmsted House, National Historic SiteNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About it★
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic SiteNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1967
About it★
Brookline Reservoir of the Cochituate AqueductNational Historic Landmark · Place · listed 2015
About itSt. Mark's Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1976
About itPill Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itEdward Devotion HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itCottage Farm Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itLongwood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itBrookline Village Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itBrookline Town Green Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itRichmond CourtDistrict · listed 1985
About it83 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Brookline: 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) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Brookline →
Next door
Brookline and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Brookline
Where can I hike in Brookline?
The longest trail networks: Brookline Reservoir Park, 1.1 miles; Skyline Park, 1 miles; Larz Anderson Park, 0.9 miles; Dane Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brookline is conserved land?
20% 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 Brookline’s trails?
Brookline Reservoir Park and Skyline Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brookline?
32 miles of bike routes are on the map: 23 of painted or protected lanes, 3.4 of off-road paths and 5.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Brookline?
41,446 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brookline or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 424 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brookline have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #199 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 Brookline 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 →