Blue Hills Reservation
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
661 acres8.1 mi of trail
Accord PathRedman Farm PathPonkapoag Bog BoardwalkSkyline Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory · Photo: Jameslwoodward · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Canton
Canton has 45 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
32% of Canton’s land is conserved, about 3,897 acres. 3,093 acres are parks and preserves, 125 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
3,897 acres · of 18.7 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,093 ac
125 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
3.7 mi lanes · 2.0 mi paths
Highest peak
633 ft
Great Blue Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Canton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canton is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Canton near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canton’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land125 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,093 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% 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 85%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Canton’s 32% is ahead of 77% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% 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 Blue Hills Reservation, with 8.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Neponset River Reservation
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
894 acres7.1 mi of trail
Burma Road Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate
Nature preserve
96 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Museum of American Bird Art
Nature preserve
117 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ward Well Conservation Area
Nature preserve
71 acres1.6 mi of trail
Blue Road TrailYellow Road TrailBrown West TrailOrange Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Signal Hill
Nature preserve
125 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pequitside Farm
Nature preserve
34 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 39 parks & preserves
Blue Hills Reservation661 acres · 8.1 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsNeponset River Reservation894 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsEleanor Cabot Bradley Estate96 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMuseum of American Bird Art117 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWard Well Conservation Area71 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSignal Hill125 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPequitside Farm34 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsPaul Revere Heritage Site9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPecunit Brook Conservation Area23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Canton Conservation Commission
DirectionsEarl Newhouse Waterfront12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCabot Devoll Field5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFarnham-Connolly State Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · DCR - Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsAugustine "Augie" Decembrele Field3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Along Pequit Brook77 acres
Fowl Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary61 acres
Pequit Brook Conservation Area50 acres
Indian Line Farm40 acres
DirectionsBolivar Pond Conservation Area38 acres
Canton Town Forest37 acres
DirectionsDr. Nathaniel Fuller Wildlife Sanctuary29 acres
Steep Hill Brook Conservation Area28 acres · Town of Canton Conservation Commission
DirectionsWampatuck Conservation Area27 acres
Turnpike Street Conservation Area20 acres
Eliot Hollow Woods19 acres
DirectionsBeaver Meadow Conservation Area18 acres
Phillip St. Conservation Land16 acres
Canton Historical Society12 acres
Stratford Road Conservation Land9 acres
Bailey Court Conservation Area9 acres · Town of Canton Conservation Commission
Shepard Pond Conserv. Area7 acres
DirectionsSilk Mill Pond Conservation Area5 acres · Town of Canton Conservation Commission
DirectionsConservation Land Off Highland3 acres
Bartlett St. Conservation Area2 acres
Glen Rd. Conservation Area1 acres
Ponkapoag Playground1 acres
Canonchet St. Conservatn Area1 acres
Lake Rd. Conservation Area1 acres
Irving St. Conservation Land1 acres
Angela St. Conservation Land1 acres
Who protects it
3,897 conserved acres
32% of Canton’s land. Who manages Canton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city375 ac
State parks319 ac
State conservation231 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits208 ac
Other state land102 ac
Not recorded3,067 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,247 acConservation Easement · 565 acLocal Other or Unknown · 381 acRecreation or Education Easement · 189 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 170 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 400 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 132 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neponset River Reservation State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 920 | Open |
| Blue Hills Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 635 | Open |
| Ponkapoag Golf Course State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 378 | Open |
| Blue Hills Golf Course State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 192 | Restricted |
| Mildred Morse Allen Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 122 | Restricted |
| Knollwood Memorial Park State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 108 | Unknown |
| Ponkapoag Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 102 | Open |
| Along Red Wing Brook Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Wompatuck Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 85 | Restricted |
| Milton-Hoosic Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 84 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Canton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Canton
Fishermans BeachIn Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Canton
Childrens World Indoor PlaygroundHours: Mon–Sun 9:30 am – 3 pm
DirectionsIndian Woods Playground
DirectionsJudge Rotenberg Playground
DirectionsTilden PlaygroundIn Augustine "Augie" Decembrele Field
DirectionsTot Lot Playground
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Canton
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Canton
Great Blue Hill633 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsLittle Blue Hill269 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsCherry Hill243 ft elevation · In Indian Line Farm
DirectionsSignal HillIn Signal Hill
DirectionsCampgrounds in Canton
YMCA CampIn Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.4 miUnpaved · 8.6 mi
Burma Road Trail1.4 mi
Accord Path0.9 mi
Redman Farm Path0.9 mi
Blue Road Trail0.4 mi
Ponkapoag Bog Boardwalk0.4 mi
Skyline Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Road Trail0.3 mi
Dorchester Trail0.2 mi
Brown West Trail0.2 mi
Orange Trail0.2 mi
8 more trails
Blue Road North Trail / ICCNE South Trail
0.1 miOrange Road LoopTrail
0.1 miActon Path
0.1 miEliot Circle
0.1 miYellow West Trail
0.1 miOrange South Trail
0.1 miWindsor Woods Lane East Trail
0.1 miWindsor Wood Lane west Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
16Baseball
14Tennis
12Basketball
12Soccer
3Football
1Hockey rinks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Canton: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Canton →
Next door
Canton and its neighbors
Canton has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Canton
Where can I hike in Canton?
The longest trail networks: Blue Hills Reservation, 8.1 miles; Neponset River Reservation, 7.1 miles; Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, 2.7 miles; Museum of American Bird Art, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canton is conserved land?
32% 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 Canton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Ward Well Conservation Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Canton?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of painted or protected lanes, 2.0 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Canton?
57,068 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,289 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canton have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #42 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 Canton 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 →