Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
330 acres7.8 mi of trail
Main PathPipeline PathFlat Rock Road (red)Link Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nick Allen · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fitchburg
20% of Fitchburg’s land is conserved: 3,653 acres
40 miles of mapped trail cross Fitchburg, 1.5 per square mile of land. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary (7.8 mi), Northern Watershed (5.2 mi), Coggshall Park (4.5 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #169 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
3,653 acres · of 27.8 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,378 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,207 ft
Brown Hill
Lakes & rivers
18
What kind of outdoors town is Fitchburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fitchburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fitchburg is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #169 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 Fitchburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,378 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 40%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Fitchburg’s 20% is ahead of 48% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% 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 Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary, with 7.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northern Watershed
Nature preserve
1,171 acres5.2 mi of trail
Pipeline Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Coggshall Park
Park
223 acres4.5 mi of trail
Hole #14Hole #17Hole #15Hole #13+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Crocker Conservation Area
Nature preserve
149 acres2.9 mi of trail
Big's Bushwhack (white)Overlook Trail (red)Lower Loop (blue)Cush's Coast (yellow)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Fitchburg Steamline Trail
Park
8 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jewell Hill
Nature preserve
131 acres0.5 mi of trail
Fox PastureTrailWillard Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 33 parks & preserves
Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary330 acres · 7.8 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthern Watershed1,171 acres · 5.2 mi of trail
Coggshall Park223 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCrocker Conservation Area149 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCoolidge Park35 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPark Hill Park46 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Fitchburg Steamline Trail8 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Jewell Hill131 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Bird Sanctuary59 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Moran Field18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGateway Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSaima Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrocker Field7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHowarth Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBartley-Nolan Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Crocker Playground2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Riverfront Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLowe Playground4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCaldwell Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonument Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJoAnne "Mama" Fitz Memorial Playground1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fitchburg
DirectionsLeominster State Forest121 acres · DCR - Division Of State Parks And Recreation
Scripture Hill Wildlife Management Area101 acres
Green's Pond Reserve42 acres
DirectionsLittlefield Farm33 acres
City Forest32 acres
Airport Conservation Land22 acres
Brown Farm12 acres
South Fitchburg Playground10 acres
DirectionsCity of Fitchburg Agricultural Preservation Restriction6 acres
Goodrich Playground5 acres
DirectionsDolloff Conservation Land5 acres
Phillips Playground1 acres
Who protects it
3,653 conserved acres
20% of Fitchburg’s land. Who manages Fitchburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,127 ac
State fish & wildlife1,124 ac
Other state land739 ac
Town or city560 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits260 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)83 ac
Joint12 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,740 acAgricultural Easement · 822 acPrivate Conservation · 359 acLocal Park · 342 acLocal Other or Unknown · 267 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,820 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 204 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 328 | Unknown |
| Oak Hill Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 232 | Restricted |
| Coggshall Park Local Park | Town or city | 210 | Open |
| Leominster State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 181 | Open |
| Scripture Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 102 | Open |
| Fitchburg Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 85 | Unknown |
| Forest Hill Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 78 | Open |
| City of Fitchburg Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 68 | Open |
| Coolidge Park Local Park | Not recorded | 64 | Open |
| Nashua River Greenway Unknown | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
53 places to go in Fitchburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Fitchburg
Tadpole Pond Kiddie Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Fitchburg
Valeri's Village
Directions36 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Fitchburg
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Fitchburg
CascadesIn Bird Sanctuary
DirectionsEmerson Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Fitchburg
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fitchburg
Brown Hill1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsAlpine Hill1,043 ft elevation
DirectionsBuck Hill1,037 ft elevation
DirectionsPearl Hill1,017 ft elevation
DirectionsParker Hill978 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill948 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Elam860 ft elevation
DirectionsPearl Hill820 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Rollstone Hill801 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill748 ft elevation · In Coggshall Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Fitchburg
Coggshall Park Disc Golf CourseIn Coggshall Park · Volunteer
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Fitchburg
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miUnpaved · 7.9 mi
Pipeline Path1.2 mi
Main Path1.0 mi
Flat Rock Road (red)0.8 mi
Overlook Trail (red)0.7 mi
Big's Bushwhack (white)0.7 mi
Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike0.5 mi
Link Trail0.4 mi
Lower Loop (blue)0.4 mi
Swamp Path0.4 mi
Loop Trail0.4 mi
15 more trails
Cush's Coast (yellow)
0.3 miFox PastureTrail
0.3 miCart Road (white)
0.2 miFlat Rock Link (blue)
0.2 miWillard Trail
0.2 miWhite Birch Trail (white)
0.2 miHole #14
0.1 miHole #17
0.1 miThe Cutoff
0.1 miJay's Way (yellow)
0.1 miHole #15
0.1 miHole #13
0.1 miHole #7
0.1 miHole #3
0.1 miHole #18
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Falulah ReservoirreservoirFlagg PondpondGreen's PondreservoirJames PondLovell ReservoirreservoirMcTaggarts PondreservoirMirror LakelakeNorth Nashua River ReservoirOverlook ReservoirreservoirPutnam PondreservoirSaima PondpondSawmill PondScott ReservoirreservoirSheldon PondpondSnows MillpondreservoirNorth Nashua RiverNorth Nashua River ReservoirWhitman River
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Baseball
16Basketball
11Soccer
11Tennis
7Tracks
5Football
3Volleyball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Fay ClubBuilding · listed 1978
About itMonument Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itCalvinistic Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itCrocker Field Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itFitchburg Historical SocietyBuilding · listed 2003
About itParkhill MillBuilding · listed 2008
About itSafety Fund National BankBuilding · listed 2009
About itFitchburg Yarn MillBuilding · listed 2016
About itMoran Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018
About itAcademy Street Educational Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Fitchburg: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 76 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Fitchburg →
Next door
Fitchburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitchburg | 20% | 1.5 | 33 | 93% | A+ |
| Leominster | 35% | 2.4 | 50 | 89% | A+ |
| Westminster | 31% | 1.4 | 256 | 73% | A+ |
| Lunenburg | 23% | 2.4 | 228 | 93% | A+ |
| Ashby | 32% | 1.0 | 792 | 82% | A+ |
| Ashburnham | 33% | 0.9 | 361 | 65% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fitchburg
Where can I hike in Fitchburg?
The longest trail networks: Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary, 7.8 miles; Northern Watershed, 5.2 miles; Coggshall Park, 4.5 miles; Crocker Conservation Area, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Coggshall Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fitchburg?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 2.1 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fitchburg?
61,874 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fitchburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,840 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fitchburg have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #169 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 Fitchburg 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 →