Manchester Essex Woods
Managed by Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust
889 acres11.6 mi of trail
Bishop's Grave CartwaySesame Street TrailProspect Ledge TrailHomestead Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Essex
Essex has 38 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
31% of Essex’s land is conserved, about 2,785 acres. 1,378 acres are parks and preserves, 372 per 1,000 residents. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #57 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
2,785 acres · of 14.0 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,378 ac
372 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
236 ft
Morse Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Essex?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 96% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild31% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam372 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Essex have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Essex is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #57 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Essex’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land372 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,378 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home91% 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 80%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Essex’s 31% is ahead of 76% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
Water is 13% of Essex’s area (2 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 27%.
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 Manchester Essex Woods, with 11.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crane Wildlife Refuge
Managed by The Trustees of Reservations
697 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Warren Weld Woodland
Managed by Essex County Greenbelt
91 acres1.3 mi of trail
Gas Line
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Centennial Grove
Managed by Town Of Essex
61 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Allyn-Cox Reservation
Nature preserve
25 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stavros Reservation
Managed by The Trustees of Reservations
83 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Manchester Essex Woods889 acres · 11.6 mi of trail · Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust
DirectionsCrane Wildlife Refuge697 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · The Trustees of Reservations
Warren Weld Woodland91 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsCentennial Grove61 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town Of Essex
DirectionsAllyn-Cox Reservation25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Stavros Reservation83 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Trustees of Reservations
John J. Donovan Reservation67 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
The Monoliths17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Trustees of Reservations
Conservation land80 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Reinert Reservation35 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Corbett Property28 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
North Shore Salt Marsh18 acres
Memorial Park14 acres
Davis Property13 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsPhillips Cr11 acres
Town Land11 acres
Broad Marsh8 acres
Cox Woodland4 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Who protects it
2,785 conserved acres
31% of Essex’s land. Water is left out: Essex has 14.0 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Essex’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,469 ac
Other state land236 ac
State parks97 ac
Town or city45 ac
State natural resources36 ac
Not recorded1,251 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,264 acState Conservation Area · 732 acPrivate Conservation · 504 acAgricultural Easement · 250 acUnknown Easement · 225 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,454 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 43 of 159 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 644 | Open |
| Essex-Manchester Woods Private Conservation | Not recorded | 311 | Open |
| Warren Weld Woodland Private Conservation | Not recorded | 54 | Restricted |
| Stavros Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 37 | Closed |
| Corbett Salt Marsh State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 25 | Restricted |
| Conomo Pt/Town Farm State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Great Marsh North Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| Town of Essex Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Essex
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Essex
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Essex
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Peaks in Essex
Morse Hill236 ft elevation
DirectionsEveleth Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsChoate Hill180 ft elevation · In Crane Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsCraft Hill180 ft elevation
DirectionsCandlewood Hill151 ft elevation · In Manchester Essex Woods
DirectionsFifteen Tree Hill131 ft elevation
DirectionsWhites Hill98 ft elevation · In Stavros Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 15.2 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 10.8 mi
Bishop's Grave Cartway1.6 mi
Cliffhanger1.2 mi
Sesame Street Trail1.2 mi
Prospect Ledge Trail1.1 mi
Tombstone1.1 mi
Stupid Trail0.9 mi
Gas Line0.8 mi
Homestead Trail0.8 mi
Stu & Erin's0.7 mi
Pulpit Rock0.7 mi
15 more trails
The Gloucester Spot
0.7 miDark Tower
0.6 miCharlie Trail
0.6 miBandidos
0.6 miCedar Swamp Trail
0.5 miCaveman
0.5 miBullseye
0.5 miArrow
0.4 miTR Maple Swamp Connector
0.4 miBear's Den Trail
0.3 miSam Hoar Memorial Trail
0.3 miAncient Line Trail
0.3 miBaby Rock Trail
0.3 miGrassy Ridge Trail
0.3 miCandlewood Connnector
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Essex: 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) | 36 | 38 | 45 | 56 | 65 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 61 | 50 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Essex →
Next door
Essex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 31% | 2.7 | 372 | 91% | A+ |
| Ipswich | 51% | 3.2 | 316 | 98% | A+ |
| Hamilton | 38% | 4.4 | 229 | 84% | A+ |
| Gloucester | 32% | 4.4 | 172 | 99% | A+ |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | 19% | 4.7 | 106 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Essex
Where can I hike in Essex?
The longest trail networks: Manchester Essex Woods, 11.6 miles; Crane Wildlife Refuge, 3.8 miles; Warren Weld Woodland, 1.3 miles; Centennial Grove, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Essex is conserved land?
31% 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 Essex’s trails?
Manchester Essex Woods and Crane Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Essex?
32,949 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Essex or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,409 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Essex have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #57 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 Essex 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 →