Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
194 acres1.7 mi of trail
Woodland LoopMeadow LoopGeorge Marsh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Hantsheroes · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dudley
20% of Dudley’s land is conserved: 2,696 acres
629 acres are parks and preserves, 53 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary (1.7 mi), Slater Woods (0.8 mi), Hiland Park (0.7 mi). 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Dudley, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #265 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,696 acres · of 20.8 sq mi of land
Trails
9.1 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
629 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Highest peak
682 ft
Bates Hill
Lakes & rivers
20
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Dudley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dudley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dudley is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #265 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 Dudley’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land53 acres of park per 1,000 residents (629 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home66% 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 82%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 6%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Dudley’s 20% is ahead of 47% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 5% of them.
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 Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Slater Woods
Nature preserve
76 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hiland Park
Nature preserve
53 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ardlock Acres
Nature preserve
81 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary194 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSlater Woods76 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Hiland Park53 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Ardlock Acres81 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kulisa Conservation Restriction79 acres
Tufts Branch Valley Wildlife Sanctuary79 acres · Dudley Conservation Land Trust
Piasta Road Conservation Area9 acres
Arlock Acres8 acres
Avalock Acres2 acres
Stevens Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,696 conserved acres
20% of Dudley’s land. Who manages Dudley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,979 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits498 ac
Town or city482 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)135 ac
State natural resources73 ac
State fish & wildlife72 ac
Not recorded554 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,114 acConservation Easement · 873 acPrivate Conservation · 295 acUnknown Easement · 129 acResearch or Educational Area · 111 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,095 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 152 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 213 | Open |
| Shepherd Hill Regional High School and Dudley Middle School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 72 | Open |
| Dudley Hill Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Restricted |
| Blackmer Road Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
| Dudley Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Mason Road Elementary School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| Gore Pond Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Peter Amorello Sr Memorial Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Dudley Elementary School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| Ardlock Acres Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Dudley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Dudley
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Dudley
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Dudley
Bates Hill682 ft elevation
DirectionsChancery Hill600 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 20 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.9 mi
Frank's Trail0.8 mi
Southern New England Railway0.8 mi
Woodland Loop0.3 mi
Meadow Loop0.3 mi
George Marsh Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Baker PondpondCarpenter Road PondConant PondpondDudley ReservoirreservoirEasterbrook PondFrench River ReservoirreservoirHayden PondreservoirLarner PondreservoirLow PondMerino PondreservoirNew PondpondNiger Road PondPackard PondpondPeter PondreservoirPierpoint Meadow PondreservoirQuinebaug River ReservoirreservoirShepherd PondreservoirSylvestri PondreservoirWallis PondreservoirWielock Pond
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
9Baseball
6Basketball
5Soccer
3Football
3Tracks
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dudley: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Dudley →
Next door
Dudley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley | 20% | 0.4 | 53 | 66% | A− |
| Webster | 23% | 1.8 | 58 | 84% | A+ |
| Southbridge Town | 14% | 1.1 | 31 | 82% | A |
| Oxford | 4% | 1.1 | 32 | 58% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dudley
Where can I hike in Dudley?
The longest trail networks: Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 1.7 miles; Slater Woods, 0.8 miles; Hiland Park, 0.7 miles; Ardlock Acres, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dudley is conserved land?
20% 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 Dudley’s trails?
Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary and Slater Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dudley?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Dudley?
27,695 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dudley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 763 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dudley have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #265 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 Dudley 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 →