Georgetown-Rowley State Forest
Nature preserve
570 acres13.6 mi of trail
BCTNan'sHollow LogWatchtower+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Georgetown
Georgetown has 43 miles of mapped trails, 3.4 for every square mile of land
26% of Georgetown’s land is conserved, about 2,129 acres. 1,946 acres are parks and preserves, 230 per 1,000 residents. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
2,129 acres · of 12.9 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,946 ac
230 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.1 mi
0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
351 ft
Baldpate Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Georgetown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Georgetown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Georgetown is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #49 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 Georgetown’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land230 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,946 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home95% 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 83%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Georgetown’s 26% is ahead of 65% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% of them.
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 Georgetown-Rowley State Forest, with 13.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Department of Fish And Game
377 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Upper Parker River Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
92 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dr. Poore's Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lufkins Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
188 acres2.3 mi of trail
(old overgrown road)(overgrown)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hampshire Woods Conservation Area
Nature preserve
47 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Aquifer Prot. Land - Dep/Ala
Nature preserve
84 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Maclennon land
Managed by TOWN OF GEORGETOWN
62 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Littles Hill Conservation Area
Nature preserve
68 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 29 parks & preserves
Georgetown-Rowley State Forest570 acres · 13.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCrane Pond Wildlife Management Area377 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Department of Fish And Game
Upper Parker River Wildlife Management Area92 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
Lufkins Brook Conservation Area188 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHampshire Woods Conservation Area47 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Aquifer Prot. Land - Dep/Ala84 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Maclennon land62 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · TOWN OF GEORGETOWN
Littles Hill Conservation Area68 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsAtkinson Lot25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Recharge Area42 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBaldpate Pond State Park45 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsConservation Land117 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · TOWN OF GEORGETOWN
DirectionsBaldpate Hill96 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt Association
Driftway Woods Conservation Area31 acres
Village Lane - Jackman Brook19 acres · Town of Georgetown Conservation Commission
Hickory Lane Conservation Area16 acres · Town of Georgetown Conservation Commission
Lobao Pit14 acres
Acorn Way Conservation Area14 acres · Town of Georgetown Conservation Commission
Cat Island12 acres
Moulton Lot9 acres
Half Moon Meadow9 acres
Thurlow Street Conservaton Area9 acres · Town of Georgetown Conservation Commission
Poor Lot #18 acres · TOWN OF GEORGETOWN
American Legion Park6 acres
DirectionsPenn Brook Area5 acres
DirectionsEast Main Street5 acres
Swanton Way Conservation Area4 acres
Jewett Street Conservation Area2 acres · Town of Georgetown Conservation Commission
Harry Murch Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,129 conserved acres
26% of Georgetown’s land. Who manages Georgetown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits284 ac
Town or city213 ac
Other state land51 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)18 ac
Joint17 ac
State fish & wildlife13 ac
Private owners3 ac
State Resource Management Area · 636 acLocal Other or Unknown · 429 acState Conservation Area · 291 acConservation Easement · 279 acWatershed Protection Area · 236 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 166 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 123 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown-Rowley State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 585 | Open |
| Georgetown Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 235 | Closed |
| Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 199 | Open |
| The Black Swan Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 121 | Restricted |
| Upper Parker River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 92 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 82 | Open |
| Littles Hill Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Baldpate Pond State Park State Park | Not recorded | 53 | Open |
| Rock Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 51 | Open |
| Penn Brook School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 41 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Georgetown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Georgetown
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Georgetown
Baldpate Hill351 ft elevation · In Baldpate Hill
DirectionsLittles Hill259 ft elevation
DirectionsLong Hill210 ft elevation
DirectionsRedshanks Hill161 ft elevation
DirectionsOrnes Hill85 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Georgetown
Georgetown Community GardenIn Lufkins Brook Conservation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.9 miUnpaved · 24.6 mi
Georgetown-Byfield Rail Trail2.5 mi
BCT0.8 mi
Hollow Log0.8 mi
Nan's0.8 mi
Watchtower0.5 mi
Bridges0.4 mi
(old overgrown road)0.4 mi
Big Stones0.3 mi
Shortcut0.3 mi
130.3 mi
2 more trails
(overgrown)
0.1 miTwisted Kangaroo
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Georgetown-Byfield Rail TrailBike route
2.8 miCourts & fields
5Soccer
4Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
3Softball
2Equestrian
1Football
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Georgetown: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Georgetown →
Next door
Georgetown and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Georgetown
Where can I hike in Georgetown?
The longest trail networks: Georgetown-Rowley State Forest, 13.6 miles; Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area, 2.8 miles; Upper Parker River Wildlife Management Area, 2.5 miles; Lufkins Brook Conservation Area, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Georgetown is conserved land?
26% 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 Georgetown’s trails?
Georgetown-Rowley State Forest and Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Georgetown?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: Georgetown-Byfield Rail Trail.
Is there public land near Georgetown?
44,730 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Georgetown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,073 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Georgetown have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 Georgetown 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 →