Mary O'Malley State Park
Managed by DCR
20 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
LUNA (tugboat) · Photo: Nkwoodward · CC BY 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Chelsea
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Chelsea
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 3.7 miles of mapped trail cross Chelsea, 1.7 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mary O'Malley State Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #275 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
59 acres · of 2.2 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
62 ac
1.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.9 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 1.2 mi paths
Highest peak
112 ft
Mount Bellingham
Lakes & rivers
2
6 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Chelsea?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chelsea have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chelsea is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #275 of 283 in Massachusetts. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chelsea’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land1.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (62 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 73%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 3%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Chelsea’s 4% is ahead of 1% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% of them.
Water is 10% of Chelsea’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Mary O'Malley State Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mystic River Overlook Park
Park
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Mary O'Malley State Park20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · DCR
DirectionsMystic River Overlook Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
PORT Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMalone Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCreekside Commons1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIsland End Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bosson Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChelsea Greenway6 acres
DirectionsMill Creek Riverwalk4 acres
DirectionsHighland Park3 acres
DirectionsVoke Park3 acres
DirectionsCarter Park3 acres
DirectionsWashington Park1 acres
DirectionsLewis H. Latimer Overlook1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
59 conserved acres
4% of Chelsea’s land. Water is left out: Chelsea has 2.2 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Chelsea’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city22 ac
State parks19 ac
Other state land4 ac
Not recorded14 ac
State Resource Management Area · 23 acLocal Park · 22 acLocal Other or Unknown · 11 acResearch or Educational Area · 2 acState Other or Unknown · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Omalley Waterfront Park State Resource Management Area | State parks | 19 | Open |
| High School/Carter Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Chelsea Greenway Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Malone Park State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 4 | Open |
| Highland Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Voke Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Garden Cemetery Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
| Merritt Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Mary C Burke School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Chelsea
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chelsea
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Chelsea
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Chelsea
Cordero Park
DirectionsHoward Park
DirectionsJudie Dyer Park
DirectionsMace Tot Lot
DirectionsRoche Park
DirectionsWashington Park PlaygroundIn Washington Park
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Chelsea
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Chelsea
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Chelsea
Mount Bellingham112 ft elevation
DirectionsAdmiral's Hill
DirectionsPowder Horn HillIn Malone Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Chelsea
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Chelsea
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
2.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
14Basketball
4Pickleball
4Tennis
2Soccer
2Baseball
1Football
1Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Naval Hospital Boston Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itBellingham-Cary HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itChelsea Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itC. Henry Kimball HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itBellingham Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itDowntown Chelsea Residential Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itCongregation Agudath ShalomBuilding · listed 1993
About itChelsea Garden CemeterySite · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Chelsea: 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 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Chelsea →
Next door
Chelsea and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Chelsea
Where can I hike in Chelsea?
The longest trail networks: Mary O'Malley State Park, 0.8 miles; Mystic River Overlook Park, 0.3 miles; PORT Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chelsea is conserved land?
4% 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 Chelsea’s trails?
Mary O'Malley State Park and Mystic River Overlook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chelsea?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes, 1.2 of off-road paths and 2.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Chelsea?
22,421 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chelsea or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 64 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chelsea have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #275 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 Chelsea 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 →