Callahan State Park
Nature preserve
657 acres18.5 mi of trail
Red Tail TrailDam TrailPinecone TrailJuniper Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Daderot · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Framingham
Framingham has 71 miles of mapped trails, 2.8 for every square mile of land
21% of Framingham’s land is conserved, about 3,448 acres. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Callahan State Park (18.5 mi), Nobscot Scout Reservation (3.7 mi), Baiting Brook-Welch Conservation Land (3.2 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #127 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
3,448 acres · of 25.0 sq mi of land
Trails
71 mi
2.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,881 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
6.2 mi lanes · 1.8 mi paths
Highest peak
600 ft
Nobscot Hill
Lakes & rivers
20
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Framingham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Framingham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Framingham is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #127 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Framingham’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (71 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,881 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% 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 97%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 55%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Framingham’s 21% is ahead of 52% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% of them.
Water is 6% of Framingham’s area (1 of 27 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Callahan State Park, with 18.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nobscot Scout Reservation
Managed by Boy Scouts
136 acres3.7 mi of trail
Jethro TrailWhite Ridge TrailEllis Land TrailFire Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Baiting Brook-Welch Conservation Land
Nature preserve
110 acres3.2 mi of trail
Balling Brook TrailPipelineConnector JBay Circuit Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Baiting Brook Meadow Farm Conservation Restriction
Managed by Sudbury Valley Trustees
80 acres2.2 mi of trail
Jabberwocky
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wittenborg Woods
Managed by Town of Framingham
86 acres1.9 mi of trail
Bay Circuit Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Garden In The Woods
Nature preserve
44 acres1.7 mi of trail
Ridge TrailLost Pond TrailHop Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sudbury Aqueduct Trail
Managed by Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
30 acres1.4 mi of trail
Sudbury Aqueduct Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 66 parks & preserves
Callahan State Park657 acres · 18.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNobscot Scout Reservation136 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Boy Scouts
DirectionsBaiting Brook-Welch Conservation Land110 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBaiting Brook Meadow Farm Conservation Restriction80 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Wittenborg Woods86 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Town of Framingham
DirectionsGarden In The Woods44 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
Cushing Memorial Park68 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSudbury Aqueduct Trail30 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
DirectionsHenry's Hill40 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Sudbury Valley Trustees
DirectionsWayside Forest54 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrimstone Estates42 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCochituate Brook Reservation29 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Framingham
DirectionsCochituate State Park110 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsGross Gift19 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Getchell Reservation8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFarm Pond Park23 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsChicktawbut Woods17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Hop Brook Natural Area16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRoosevelt Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Framingham MA Parks & Recreation
Long Athletic Field Complex25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBowditch Field19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEdmands/Mohawk Drive14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Framingham
Chickatawbut Road6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Framingham
Butterworth Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Reardon Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Framingham
DirectionsFerrazzi Drive10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Framingham
Aronson Conservation Restriction8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Nobscot Spring6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bates Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Nobscot Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsArlington Street Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Pike-Haven-Foster Environs31 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Merchant Road Fields26 acres
DirectionsOverly Conservation Restriction18 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
DirectionsCedar Swamp15 acres
DirectionsMary Dennison Park14 acres
DirectionsLearned Park13 acres
DirectionsCider Mill Road Conservation12 acres
Waters & Weir Fields11 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Danforth Park10 acres
DirectionsFrank Galvani Athletic Complex8 acres
DirectionsHowes Field7 acres
DirectionsHarrington Field6 acres
River Park6 acres
Willis Tract6 acres
Catherine Road5 acres · Town of Framingham
DirectionsVictory Recreation Fields5 acres
DirectionsCiampa Memorial Woodlands5 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Fountain Development5 acres
Mason Park5 acres
Simpson Park5 acres
Woodfield Playground4 acres
Oakvale Park4 acres
Powers Land3 acres
Triangular Retention3 acres
Saxonville Beach3 acres · Town of Framingham
DirectionsAnna Murphy Playground3 acres
Hiram Road2 acres
Furber Park2 acres
DirectionsDonovan Drive1 acres
General Knox Historical District1 acres
Cockell Island1 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Gallagher Park1 acres
Lamphere Circle Retention1 acres
Temple Street Playground1 acres
DirectionsFitts Triangle1 acres
Who protects it
3,448 conserved acres
21% of Framingham’s land. Water is left out: Framingham has 25.0 square miles of land and 1.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Framingham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city552 ac
State conservation535 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits279 ac
State parks111 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government85 ac
Other state land54 ac
Not recorded2,576 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 1,216 acState Park · 775 acConservation Easement · 545 acPrivate Conservation · 491 acLocal Other or Unknown · 341 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 257 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 18 of 177 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callahan State Park State Park | Not recorded | 659 | Open |
| Sudbury Reservoir Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 467 | Closed |
| Sudbury Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 304 | Closed |
| Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 203 | Closed |
| Nobscot Scout Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 137 | Restricted |
| Framingham Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 129 | Unknown |
| Cochituate State Park State Park | Not recorded | 116 | Open |
| Town of Framingham Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 113 | Open |
| Hultman Aqueduct Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 97 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 85 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
50 places to go in Framingham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Framingham
Learned Pond BeachIn Learned Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Framingham
Hamilton Village Community Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Framingham
Avalon Framingham Playground
DirectionsDanforth Park PlaygroundIn Danforth Park
DirectionsFamily Activity AreaIn Garden In The Woods
DirectionsHamilton Village Playground
DirectionsPlus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Framingham
Avalon Framingham Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Peaks in Framingham
Nobscot Hill600 ft elevation · In Callahan State Park
DirectionsGibbs Mountain502 ft elevation
DirectionsDoeskin Hill499 ft elevation · In Brimstone Estates
DirectionsJuniper Hill446 ft elevation
DirectionsBallard Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsIndian Head Hill338 ft elevation
DirectionsMerriam Hill325 ft elevation
DirectionsTom Hill305 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Bare Hill282 ft elevation
DirectionsClark Hill256 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Mountain200 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Wayte194 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Framingham
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 20 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 24.9 miUnpaved · 23.6 mi
Weston Aqueduct Walking Trail2.4 mi
Bay Circuit Trail2.2 mi
Red Tail Trail1.2 mi
Framingham and Lowell Branch1.1 mi
Carol J. Getchell Nature Trail0.9 mi
Jabberwocky0.8 mi
Juniper Trail0.8 mi
Jethro Trail0.7 mi
Dam Trail0.7 mi
Balling Brook Trail0.7 mi
15 more trails
Pipeline
0.7 miPinecone Trail
0.7 miHultman Aqueduct Path
0.7 miSudbury Aqueduct Trail
0.6 miFisher Trail
0.6 miRed Diamond
0.5 miEagle
0.5 miFox Hunt Trail
0.5 miWoodchuck Trail
0.5 miLady Slipper Trail
0.5 miHultman Aquaduct Path
0.5 miBirch Trail
0.4 miDeer Run
0.4 miHawk Trail
0.4 miTower Trail
0.4 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Allowance PondpondBrackett ReservoirreservoirCalla PoolEagle PondpondFarm PondFoss ReservoirreservoirGleason PondHopbrook pondpondLearned PondLilly PondpondNorton PondpondPackard PondpondStearns ReservoirreservoirSucker PondSudbury PondWaushakum PondpondWelch PondpondBoman's BrookCochituate BrookSudbury River
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.8 mi
off-road bike paths
2.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Baseball
26Basketball
24Tennis
11Pickleball
8Soccer
5Football
4Equestrian
2Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →16 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Framingham Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1975
About itIrving Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itConcord Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itPaul Gibbs HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itMoses Ellis HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itSaint John's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1990
About itFramingham Reservoir No. 1 Dam and GatehouseStructure · listed 1990
About itFramingham Reservoir No. 2 Dam and GatehouseStructure · listed 1990
About itFramingham Reservoir No. 3 Dam and GatehouseStructure · listed 1990
About itLake Cochituate DamStructure · listed 1990
About itWeston Aqueduct Linear DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itFramingham Centre Common Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About it4 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Framingham: April 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 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Framingham →
Next door
Framingham and its neighbors
Framingham has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Framingham71 miWayland57 miSudbury57 miSherborn55 miAshland42 miSouthborough32 miNatick30 miCochituate11 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framingham | 21% | 2.8 | 26 | 98% | A+ |
| Wayland | 41% | 3.8 | 106 | 98% | A+ |
| Natick | 21% | 2.0 | 44 | 97% | A+ |
| Ashland | 17% | 3.4 | 59 | 94% | A+ |
| Southborough | 35% | 2.3 | 72 | 74% | A+ |
| Sherborn | 23% | 3.5 | 497 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Cochituate | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sudbury | 29% | 2.4 | 126 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Framingham
Where can I hike in Framingham?
The longest trail networks: Callahan State Park, 18.5 miles; Nobscot Scout Reservation, 3.7 miles; Baiting Brook-Welch Conservation Land, 3.2 miles; Baiting Brook Meadow Farm Conservation Restriction, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Framingham is conserved land?
21% 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 Framingham’s trails?
Callahan State Park and Nobscot Scout Reservation don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Framingham?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.8 of off-road paths and 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Framingham?
56,038 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Framingham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,961 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Framingham have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #127 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 Framingham 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 →