Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area
Nature preserve
110 acres2.4 mi of trail
Closed
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Dennis Graded School · Photo: Thomas Kelley from Boston, MA · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Dennis
Dennis has 53 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
26% of Dennis’ land is conserved, about 3,368 acres. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1,262 acres are parks and preserves, 85 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
3,368 acres · of 20.6 sq mi of land
Trails
53 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,262 ac
85 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Highest peak
197 ft
Signal Hill
Lakes & rivers
13
59 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dennis?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dennis have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dennis is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Dennis near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dennis’ overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (53 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land85 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,262 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks 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)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 Dennis’ 26% is ahead of 63% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 67% of them.
Water is 8% of Dennis’ area (2 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 24%.
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 Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Flax Pond Conservation Land
Nature preserve
73 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Indian Lands
Nature preserve
27 acres1.3 mi of trail
Indian Trails 1 Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Indian Lands Ii
Nature preserve
17 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Davis-Bush Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Dennis
13 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fresh Pond Conservation Area
Managed by NA
61 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Conservation Land/So Yarmouth
Nature preserve
28 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 87 parks & preserves
Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area110 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFlax Pond Conservation Land73 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Indian Lands27 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Indian Lands Ii17 acres · 1 mi of trail
Sea View Park17 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsDavis-Bush Conservation Area13 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Dennis
DirectionsFresh Pond Conservation Area61 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · NA
DirectionsConservation Land/So Yarmouth28 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Romiq Property27 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Scargo Park23 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Conservation Land/New Boston R40 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Fresh Pond Conservation Land25 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Dennis/Conservation Commission
DirectionsBass River Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCrowe's Pasture/Quivett Creek Marsh64 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMunicipal Open Land23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Conservation Land/Deerfield St7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Swan Pond Overlook4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBlack Flats Conservation Area229 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCape Cod Rail Trail21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsSwan River Outlook5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · The Dennis Conservation Land Trust
Welch Property At Crowes Pasture4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHorsefoot Cove2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge H Chapin Memorial Beach68 acres · Town od Dennis
DirectionsChapin Beach Conservation Land49 acres
DirectionsPlashes Conservation Land47 acres
Conservation Land/W Dennis Rd40 acres
Water House Site/South Yarmouth Road26 acres
Johnny Kelley Park22 acres
DirectionsCross Patch Conservation Area22 acres · Town of Dennis
Hart Farm22 acres · Town of Dennis
DirectionsWilbur Preserve North21 acres
Conservation Land/Cold Storage19 acres
DirectionsKelly Property19 acres
Lockwood Drive Conservation Area15 acres · Dennis Conservation Trust
Seminara Property14 acres
Tody Farm East Conservation Area14 acres · Dennis Conservation Trust
Holman Property12 acres
Cape Cod Landbank Acquisition10 acres
Barbour Land8 acres
Grassy Pond Conservation Area7 acres
DirectionsHall Site7 acres
Wm P Stone Conservation Area7 acres
DirectionsSwan River Marsh7 acres
Kellys Bay Overlook6 acres
Wilbur Preserve South6 acres
DirectionsSwan Pond River Conservation Area6 acres
DirectionsNorse Lndg Marsh6 acres
Cape Cod Land Bank Acquisition6 acres · Town of Yarmouth
DirectionsCameron Land5 acres
Conserv Land/So Yarmouth Rd5 acres
Conseration Land/Scargo Hill R5 acres
Gomes Property5 acres · Dennis Conservation Land Trust
Swan River/Center St Site5 acres
Kelley Property5 acres · Town of Dennis
Conservation Land/Old Chatham5 acres
DirectionsConservation Land/Searsville R5 acres
Cape Cod Land Bank Acquistion4 acres · Town of Dennis
Cedar Pond Parcel4 acres
Conservation Land/Main St4 acres · Dennis Conservation Land Trust
Conservation Land/Bridge St3 acres
Swan River Meadow East3 acres · Town of Dennis
Conservation Land/Madison Rd3 acres
Sea Street Beach3 acres
DirectionsJosiah Dennis Manse3 acres
Conservation Land/Windsor Ave3 acres
Conservation Land/Depot St3 acres
Burr Property2 acres · Town of Dennis
Conservation Land2 acres
Baker Land2 acres
Hosley Land2 acres
Chase Garden Creek2 acres
Conservation Land/E Dennis Rd2 acres · Dennis Conservation Land Trust
Conserv Land/Off Rte 281 acres
Conservation Land/Partridge Ln1 acres
Pond Street Blueberry Patch1 acres · Town of Dennis
DirectionsTown of Dennis1 acres
DirectionsConserv Land/Barnard Rd1 acres
Conserv Land/Lower Country Rd1 acres
Riley Land1 acres
Conservation Land/Mayfair Rd1 acres
Howe Site1 acres
Conservation Land/Sheffield Av1 acres
Sundall Land1 acres
Great Island1 acres
Swan River Meadow West1 acres
Conservation Land/Paddocks Rd1 acres
Dennis Conservation Land1 acres
Who protects it
3,368 conserved acres
26% of Dennis’ land. Water is left out: Dennis has 20.6 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Dennis’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city334 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits297 ac
State conservation174 ac
State parks171 ac
Private owners14 ac
State fish & wildlife7 ac
Joint6 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,387 acWatershed Protection Area · 997 acConservation Easement · 845 acPrivate Conservation · 392 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 83 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 449 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 71 of 306 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water District Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 598 | Unknown |
| Black Flats Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 220 | Unknown |
| Dennis Highlands Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 172 | Restricted |
| Dennis Pines Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 162 | Restricted |
| West Dennis Beach Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 146 | Open |
| Wd Land/Old Chatham Rd Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 117 | Open |
| Water Supply Protection - Dep/Ala Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Cape Cod Land Bank Acquisition Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Open |
| Water Department Land Old Chatham Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
| Flax Pond Conservation Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 76 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
87 places to go in Dennis
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Dennis
Bayview Beach
DirectionsChapin Memorial BeachIn Chapin Beach Conservation Land
DirectionsCliff Metcalf Memorial Beach
DirectionsCrowe's PastureIn Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area
DirectionsDepot Street Beach
DirectionsDunes Landing Beach
DirectionsGlendon Road Beach
DirectionsHaigis Beach
Directions5 more beaches
Inman Road Beach
DirectionsMayflower Beach
DirectionsMayflower Beach
DirectionsSea Street BeachIn Sea Street Beach
DirectionsSesuit Beach
Directions59 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Dennis
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Dennis
Fresh Pond Dog ParkIn Fresh Pond Conservation Land
DirectionsBoat launches in Dennis
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Dennis
Scargo Tower
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Dennis
Signal Hill197 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Ball Hill148 ft elevation
DirectionsHokum Rock112 ft elevation · In Municipal Open Land
DirectionsScargo Hill72 ft elevation · In Conseration Land/Scargo Hill R
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dennis
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Dennis
Trails & water
2 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 10.4 mi
Indian Trails 1 Loop0.6 mi
Dennis Conservation Land Trust Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Tennis
9Baseball
3Basketball
2Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
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 Dennis: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 40 | 45 | 54 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 78 | 72 | 62 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
July is the driest month (2.5 in) and the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Dennis →
Next door
Dennis and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brewster107 miYarmouth104 miDennis53 miSouth Yarmouth17 miYarmouth Port16 miEast Dennis14 miWest Dennis5.6 miDennis Port1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis | 26% | 2.6 | 85 | 99%+ | A+ |
| East Dennis | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Yarmouth | 33% | 4.3 | 65 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Brewster | 29% | 4.7 | 247 | 99% | A+ |
| Yarmouth Port | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dennis Port | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Yarmouth | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| West Dennis | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dennis
Where can I hike in Dennis?
The longest trail networks: Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area, 2.4 miles; Flax Pond Conservation Land, 1.5 miles; Indian Lands, 1.3 miles; Indian Lands Ii, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dennis is conserved land?
26% 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 Dennis’ trails?
Coles Pond At Crowes Pasture Conservation Area and Flax Pond Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dennis?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Dennis?
21,302 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dennis or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,485 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dennis 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 Dennis 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 →