Freetown-Fall River State Forest
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
4,085 acres50.6 mi of trail
Breakneck Hill LoopLandon Hill PathRailroad TrailMassasoit Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
East Freetown Historic District · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Freetown
Freetown has 74 miles of mapped trails, 2.2 for every square mile of land
1,344 acres are parks and preserves, 145 per 1,000 residents. 19% of Freetown’s land is conserved, about 4,104 acres. The biggest trail networks: Freetown-Fall River State Forest (50.6 mi), Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land (3.4 mi), Copicut Wildlife Management Area (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #192 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
4,104 acres · of 34.5 sq mi of land
Trails
74 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,344 ac
145 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
210 ft
Breakneck Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Freetown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Freetown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Freetown is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #192 of 283 in Massachusetts. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Freetown’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (74 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land145 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,344 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home60% 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 93%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 32%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Freetown’s 19% is ahead of 38% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% of them.
Water is 5% of Freetown’s area (2 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.
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 Freetown-Fall River State Forest, with 50.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
638 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Copicut Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
263 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Freetown Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
335 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Freetown-Fall River State Forest4,085 acres · 50.6 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSoutheastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land638 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
Copicut Wildlife Management Area263 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Freetown Swamp Wildlife Management Area335 acres · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
NEFF Property86 acres
Camp Tom Welch59 acres
KRR Complex28 acres
DirectionsHilltop Park20 acres
Assonet Cedar Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary15 acres
Central Park13 acres
Bosworth Lot10 acres
Kenswood Estate6 acres
Hathaway Park6 acres
Freetown Memorial Park2 acres
Who protects it
4,104 conserved acres
19% of Freetown’s land. Water is left out: Freetown has 34.5 square miles of land and 1.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Freetown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife746 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)397 ac
Town or city370 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits231 ac
State natural resources185 ac
Other state land116 ac
Not recorded3,143 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,217 acState Resource Management Area · 1,115 acConservation Easement · 1,041 acUnknown · 642 acLocal Other or Unknown · 395 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 448 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 81 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freetown-Fall River State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,115 | Open |
| SE Mass Bioreserve Unknown | Not recorded | 642 | Open |
| Freetown Swamp Wma State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 561 | Open |
| Mill Brook Bogs Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 375 | Open |
| Copicut Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 281 | Open |
| Proprietor's Way Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 242 | Open |
| Chace Farms Conservation Area Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Camp Tom Welch Private Conservation | Not recorded | 86 | Restricted |
| Talcott White Edminster Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 85 | Closed |
| Dietlin Bogs Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 84 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Freetown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Freetown
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Freetown
Hathaway Park Boat RampIn Hathaway Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Freetown
2 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Freetown
Breakneck Hill210 ft elevation · In Freetown-Fall River State Forest
DirectionsCrapo Hill171 ft elevation
DirectionsJacobs Mountain154 ft elevation
DirectionsWhippoorwill Mountain135 ft elevation
DirectionsProfile Rock79 ft elevation · In Freetown-Fall River State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 4.1 mi
Breakneck Hill Loop1.6 mi
Landon Hill Path1.4 mi
Railroad Trail0.9 mi
Gas Line Trail0.9 mi
Massasoit Trail0.8 mi
Breakneck Trail0.4 mi
Donahue Trail0.3 mi
Pine Tree Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & 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
7Baseball
1Basketball
1Softball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Freetown: 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) | 4.2 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.3 in) and the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Freetown →
Next door
Freetown and its neighbors
Freetown has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freetown | 19% | 2.2 | 145 | 60% | A |
| Berkley | 8% | 0.1 | 36 | 50% | B− |
| Acushnet | 11% | 0.2 | 84 | 73% | A− |
| Fall River | 44% | 2.9 | 23 | 81% | A |
| Lakeville | 24% | 1.2 | 60 | 46% | 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 Freetown
Where can I hike in Freetown?
The longest trail networks: Freetown-Fall River State Forest, 50.6 miles; Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land, 3.4 miles; Copicut Wildlife Management Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Freetown is conserved land?
19% 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 Freetown’s trails?
Freetown-Fall River State Forest and Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Freetown?
47,198 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Freetown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,289 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Freetown have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #192 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 Freetown 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 →