Appalachian Trail Corridor
Managed by National Park Service
1,471 acres10.6 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto Trailhead Parking
Photo: Apw250 · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Dalton
More than half of Dalton’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Dalton’s land is conserved, about 7,231 acres. 3,806 acres are parks and preserves, 608 per 1,000 residents. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Dalton, 1.3 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #71 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
52%
7,231 acres · of 21.8 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,806 ac
608 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi lanes
Highest peak
2,247 ft
Weston Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Dalton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild52% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam608 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 85% of U.S. towns.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dalton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dalton is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #71 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dalton’s overall grade.
Conserved land52% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land608 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,806 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home92% 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 75%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Dalton’s 52% is ahead of 99% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 26% 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 Appalachian Trail Corridor, with 10.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chalet Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Department of Fish And Game
3,266 acres7.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
The Boulders
Nature preserve
80 acres1.9 mi of trail
Green TrailHealthy Heart LoopRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Old Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Managed by BNRC
48 acres1 mi of trail
Old Mill TrailOld Mill Trail (accessible)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Appalachian Trail Corridor1,471 acres · 10.6 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsChalet Wildlife Management Area3,266 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · Department of Fish And Game
The Boulders80 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)48 acres · 1 mi of trail · BNRC
DirectionsWahconah Falls State Park23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · DCR - Division Of State Parks And Recreation
DirectionsDay Mountain Wildlife Management Area375 acres · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Old Mill Trail47 acres · BNRC
American Legion Park25 acres
Pine Grove Park8 acres
Chamberlain Park5 acres
DirectionsGreenridge Park3 acres
Who protects it
7,231 conserved acres
52% of Dalton’s land. Who manages Dalton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,890 ac
Other state land985 ac
National Park Service761 ac
State fish & wildlife232 ac
State natural resources183 ac
Joint75 ac
Private owners9 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,077 acState Conservation Area · 3,147 acAgricultural Easement · 985 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 761 acState Other or Unknown · 388 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,528 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 81 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2,510 | Open |
| Appalachian Trail Corridor State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 841 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 761 | Open |
| Pittsfield Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 306 | Unknown |
| Western District HQ State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 107 | Open |
| Upper Sackett Reservoir Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Day Mountain Wildlife Management Area Private Conservation | Private owners | 58 | Open |
| Housatonic River East Branch Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 23 | Restricted |
| Wahconah Falls State Park State Park | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| Hoosatonic River State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 17 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Dalton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Dalton
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Dalton
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Dalton
Weston Mountain2,247 ft elevation · In Chalet Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsDay Mountain1,791 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Corridor
DirectionsMain Street Cemetery1,155 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Dalton
Crystal Mountain campsite (& privy)In Appalachian Trail Corridor
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 11.1 mi
Appalachian Trail8.2 mi
Green Trail1.2 mi
Old Mill Trail0.8 mi
Healthy Heart Loop0.3 mi
Old Mill Trail (accessible)0.2 mi
Red Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
13Baseball
9Tennis
5Soccer
4Basketball
1Football
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).
★
Crane and Company Old Stone Mill Rag RoomNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1983
About itDalton Grange Hall No. 23Building · listed 1983
About itFairview CemeterySite · listed 2000
About itMain Street CemeterySite · listed 2000
About itEast Main Street CemeterySite · listed 2000
About itCranesville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2005
About itFitch-Hoose HouseBuilding · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Dalton: May and July
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) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Dalton →
Next door
Dalton and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton | 52% | 1.3 | 608 | 92% | A+ |
| Pittsfield | 27% | 1.9 | 71 | 95% | A+ |
| Hinsdale | 40% | 0.6 | 1,202 | 74% | A |
| Windsor | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Washington | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cheshire | 40% | 0.9 | 1,771 | 79% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dalton
Where can I hike in Dalton?
The longest trail networks: Appalachian Trail Corridor, 10.6 miles; Chalet Wildlife Management Area, 7.3 miles; The Boulders, 1.9 miles; Old Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC), 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dalton is conserved land?
52% 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 Dalton’s trails?
Appalachian Trail Corridor and Chalet Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dalton?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Dalton?
112,169 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dalton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,734 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dalton have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Dalton 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 →