Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest
Managed by Department of Conservation and Recreation
564 acres6.4 mi of trail
Lowellacoaster
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dracut
15% of Dracut’s land is conserved: 1,954 acres
21 miles of mapped trail cross Dracut, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest (6.4 mi), East Richardson Preserve (1.7 mi), Colburn Conservation Area (1 mi). 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #260 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,954 acres · of 20.7 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
427 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
5.8 mi paths
Highest peak
338 ft
Whortleberry Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dracut?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dracut have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dracut is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #260 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dracut’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (427 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home83% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 8%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Dracut’s 15% is ahead of 22% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 20% 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 Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, with 6.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
East Richardson Preserve
Nature preserve
44 acres1.7 mi of trail
Thompson Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Colburn Conservation Area
Nature preserve
19 acres1 mi of trail
Rifle Range Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Beaver Brook Farm
Park
23 acres0.8 mi of trail
Farm LoopBeaver Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Albert & Marjorie Dunlap Sanctuary
Nature preserve
54 acres0.7 mi of trail
Helen's Haven
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Nickel Mine Conservation Area
Nature preserve
24 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Town Conservation Land
Nature preserve
49 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Yapp Farm Open Space
Nature preserve
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Yapp Farm Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 25 parks & preserves
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest564 acres · 6.4 mi of trail · Department of Conservation and Recreation
East Richardson Preserve44 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsColburn Conservation Area19 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeaver Brook Farm23 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Albert & Marjorie Dunlap Sanctuary54 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsNickel Mine Conservation Area24 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Town Conservation Land49 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsYapp Farm Open Space17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRifle Range Conservation Area48 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDracut Water Supply Lands89 acres
Cedar Pond Conservation Area41 acres
Smith-Healy Farm33 acres
Veterans Memorial Park25 acres
Dillon McAnespie Park15 acres
DirectionsLakeview Park13 acres
DirectionsEvergreen Conservation Area12 acres
Long Pond Conservation Area6 acres
Monahan Park6 acres
Carrick Park5 acres · Town Of Dracut
Hovey Field4 acres
Hovey Park2 acres
Intervale Park2 acres
ARMY SPC Mathew G. Boule Memorial Park1 acres
Lakeview Conservation Area1 acres
Long Pond Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,954 conserved acres
15% of Dracut’s land. Who manages Dracut’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city731 ac
Other state land559 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits261 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)184 ac
Joint56 ac
State conservation7 ac
State parks1 ac
Agricultural Easement · 799 acConservation Easement · 677 acState Resource Management Area · 556 acLocal Conservation Area · 178 acLocal Other or Unknown · 161 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 790 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 118 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 556 | Open |
| Dracut Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 116 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Centralville Sporstmans Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 53 | Restricted |
| Rifle Range Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 48 | Restricted |
| Cedar Pond Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Smith / Healy Farm Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Closed |
| Long Pond Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 31 | Restricted |
| Dracut Middle And High School Complex Recreational Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 25 | Restricted |
| Polubinski Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 24 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Dracut
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Dracut
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Dracut
Lake Mascuppic Access
DirectionsPeter's Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Dracut
8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Dracut
Whortleberry Hill338 ft elevation · In Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest
DirectionsBurns Hill295 ft elevation
DirectionsChandler Hill285 ft elevation
DirectionsMarsh Hill285 ft elevation
DirectionsLoon Hill256 ft elevation
DirectionsWinter Hill249 ft elevation
DirectionsBump Hill200 ft elevation
DirectionsLedge Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 14.2 mi
Rifle Range Trail0.6 mi
Farm Loop0.5 mi
Yapp Farm Trail0.4 mi
Beaver Brook Trail0.4 mi
Gagnon Pond Trail0.4 mi
Tranquility Loop0.3 mi
Thompson Hill Trail0.3 mi
Lowellacoaster0.2 mi
Helen's Haven0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Baseball
6Soccer
5Tennis
4Basketball
3Lacrosse
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dracut: 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Dracut →
Next door
Dracut 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dracut | 15% | 1.0 | 13 | 83% | A− |
| Andover | 17% | 4.4 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Tyngsborough | 15% | 1.6 | 64 | 91% | A+ |
| Lowell | 15% | 1.4 | 6 | 99% | A |
| Tewksbury | 15% | 1.9 | 51 | 93% | A+ |
| Methuen | 7% | 0.7 | 8 | 71% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dracut
Where can I hike in Dracut?
The longest trail networks: Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, 6.4 miles; East Richardson Preserve, 1.7 miles; Colburn Conservation Area, 1 miles; Beaver Brook Farm, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dracut is conserved land?
15% 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 Dracut’s trails?
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest and East Richardson Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dracut?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Dracut?
32,065 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dracut or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,007 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dracut have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #260 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 Dracut 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 →