Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
2,794 acres26.4 mi of trail
The GemPartial SerpentinePine Tree TrailFull Ebola+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Fall River
44% of Fall River’s land is conserved: 9,366 acres
95 miles of mapped trail cross Fall River, 2.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land (26.4 mi), Freetown-Fall River State Forest (23.2 mi), Watuppa Reservation (21.2 mi). 2,160 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #172 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
9,366 acres · of 33.1 sq mi of land
Trails
95 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,160 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
7.0 mi lanes · 6.3 mi paths
Highest peak
358 ft
Copicut Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fall River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild44% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.A trail town2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 97% of U.S. towns.Parks close to home81% of residents live within a half mile of a park.History along the way108 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fall River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fall River is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #172 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 Fall River’s overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (95 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,160 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home81% 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 95%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 39%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Fall River’s 44% is ahead of 95% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% of them.
Water is 18% of Fall River’s area (7 of 40 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 37%.
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 Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land, with 26.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Freetown-Fall River State Forest
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
1,851 acres23.2 mi of trail
Grinnel PathClark Field PathBridle PathPine Tree Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Watuppa Reservation
Nature preserve
3,429 acres21.2 mi of trail
Canfield East Line TrailWoodchuck TrailTattapanum. TrailCorduroy Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Copicut Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
276 acres3 mi of trail
Powerline ParrallelRusticated BeamGrinnel PathCopicut Hill+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Copicut Woods
Nature preserve
517 acres2.4 mi of trail
Soggy BottomShockley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Copicut Reservoir Watershed
Nature preserve
1,466 acres2.2 mi of trail
Pine Tree Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kennedy Park
Park
54 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Miller Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
74 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land2,794 acres · 26.4 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
Freetown-Fall River State Forest1,851 acres · 23.2 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
Watuppa Reservation3,429 acres · 21.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCopicut Wildlife Management Area276 acres · 3 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Copicut Woods517 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
Copicut Reservoir Watershed1,466 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
Kennedy Park54 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Miller Brook Conservation Area74 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Maplewood Park12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Bicentennial Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLafayette Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Fall River Parks and Recreation Department
Senator Thomas Norton City Pier3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Fall River Redevelopment Authority
Fall River Heritage State Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBritland Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fall River Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsNorth Park29 acres
DirectionsRuggles Park9 acres · City of Fall River Parks and Recreation Department
Quequechan Rail Trail8 acres
DirectionsChew Field7 acres
Dumont Field6 acres
Father Travossos Park6 acres
Abbott Court Playground5 acres
Pulaski Park4 acres
DirectionsQRT Rodman Street connector2 acres
Jose Silva Playground2 acres · City of Fall River Parks and Recreation Department
Gates of the City2 acres
DirectionsFall River Family Picnic Grove2 acres
DirectionsTurner Playground1 acres
Griffin Playground1 acres
Heritage Park1 acres
Peanut Park1 acres
Who protects it
9,366 conserved acres
44% of Fall River’s land. Water is left out: Fall River has 33.1 square miles of land and 7.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fall River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,946 ac
State fish & wildlife3,444 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits572 ac
Town or city80 ac
State conservation18 ac
State parks16 ac
Not recorded5,220 ac
Conservation Easement · 7,525 acUnknown · 2,654 acWatershed Protection Area · 1,001 acState Resource Management Area · 823 acPrivate Conservation · 573 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,604 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 131 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Mass Bioreserve Unknown | Not recorded | 2,781 | Open |
| Watuppa Reservation Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 918 | Closed |
| Freetown-Fall River State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 819 | Open |
| Copicut Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 466 | Closed |
| Copicut Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 278 | Open |
| Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 106 | Open |
| John F Kennedy Park Local Park | Not recorded | 68 | Open |
| Copicut Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 67 | Closed |
| Miller Brook Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 64 | Open |
| BMC Durfee High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Fall River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fall River
North Park PlaygroundIn North Park
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Fall River
Plus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fall River
Copicut Hill358 ft elevation · In Watuppa Reservation
DirectionsTownsend Hill253 ft elevation
DirectionsTownsend Hill253 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.2 miHorses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 15.2 mi
The Gem4.2 mi
Pine Tree Trail3.7 mi
Partial Serpentine3.2 mi
Full Ebola2.3 mi
Grinnel Path2.0 mi
Copicut Hill1.8 mi
Canfield East Line Trail1.7 mi
Powerline Parrallel1.6 mi
Out and About Trail1.4 mi
Clark Field Path1.2 mi
15 more trails
Back of The Gem
1.1 miWoodchuck Trail
1.0 miShockley Trail
1.0 miHorseshoe Trail
0.9 miTattapanum. Trail
0.9 miCorduroy Path
0.8 miBrightman Path
0.8 miBreak Bridge Trail
0.8 miBridle Path
0.7 miSoggy Bottom
0.7 miClint Davis Trail
0.7 miDeadman's Trail
0.6 miHex Spring
0.6 miIndian Turn Trail
0.6 miRusticated Beam
0.6 miBiking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.3 mi
off-road bike paths
7.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Tennis
17Baseball
16Basketball
5Soccer
4Tracks
4Football
3Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →108 places on the National Register, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
USS LIONFISH (SS0298) National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1976
About it★
USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB-59) National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1976
About itAcademy BuildingBuilding · listed 1973
About itU.s.s. LionfishStructure · listed 1976
About itU.s.s. MassachusettsStructure · listed 1976
About itOsborn HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itDurfee, B.M.C., High SchoolBuilding · listed 1981
About itFall River WaterworksBuilding · listed 1981
About itLafayette-Durfee HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About it96 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fall River: 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) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (3.3 in) and the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Fall River →
Next door
Fall River and its neighbors
Fall River has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River | 44% | 2.9 | 23 | 81% | A |
| Westport | 23% | 0.4 | 157 | 68% | A |
| North Westport | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Freetown | 19% | 2.2 | 145 | 60% | A |
| Somerset | 7% | 0.2 | 17 | 89% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fall River
Where can I hike in Fall River?
The longest trail networks: Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land, 26.4 miles; Freetown-Fall River State Forest, 23.2 miles; Watuppa Reservation, 21.2 miles; Copicut Wildlife Management Area, 3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fall River is conserved land?
44% 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 Fall River’s trails?
Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land and Freetown-Fall River State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fall River?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.0 of painted or protected lanes, 6.3 of off-road paths and 7.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fall River?
38,578 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fall River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,468 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fall River have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #172 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 Fall River 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 →