Hennessy Land
Nature preserve
161 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: w:Flickr user Paul Keleher · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Grafton
Grafton has 45 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
1,740 acres are parks and preserves, 87 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Grafton’s land is conserved, about 1,949 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #126 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,949 acres · of 22.8 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,740 ac
87 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
640 ft
Pigeon Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Grafton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grafton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grafton is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #126 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 Grafton’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land87 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,740 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home96% 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 56%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Grafton’s 13% is ahead of 17% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 51% 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 Hennessy Land, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blackstone River Park
Park
63 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Blithewood Purchase
Nature preserve
55 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brigham Hill Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
36 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hassenamesett Woods
Nature preserve
176 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Marsters Preserve
Nature preserve
43 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gummere Wood
Nature preserve
30 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
George Knowlton Preserve
Nature preserve
54 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 42 parks & preserves
Hennessy Land161 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
Blackstone River Park63 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Blithewood Purchase55 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Brigham Hill Wildlife Area36 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Hassenamesett Woods176 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Marsters Preserve43 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGummere Wood30 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
George Knowlton Preserve54 acres · 1 mi of trail
Warren Brook Watershed99 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Upton
Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area23 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Sztuba Purchase23 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Parker Preserve30 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Lions Club18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMacomber Land52 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Potter Hill Meadows34 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAirport Park45 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Meadows Tax Title Land104 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Silver Lake & Beach23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPrescott Wildlife Sanctuary4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Mill Villages Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Grafton
Taft-Parker-Prescott Land12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Brigham Hill10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Quinsigamond Marsh62 acres
Nelson Park54 acres
DirectionsWoods52 acres
Town of Grafton Conservation29 acres · Town of Grafton
Tax Title Land17 acres
Doris Drive Land10 acres
Blackstone River Land10 acres
Nelson Memorial Park8 acres
DirectionsPratts Pond8 acres
DirectionsFitzpatrick Road Parcel7 acres
Fisher Park6 acres
Riverview Park6 acres · Town of Grafton
Ide Lots5 acres
Neighborhood Park5 acres
Norcross Park4 acres
DirectionsGabelein Wood2 acres
Fisherville Pond Access2 acres
Off Snow Road1 acres
Suzanne Road Land1 acres
Old Perry Hill School1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,949 conserved acres
13% of Grafton’s land. Who manages Grafton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city683 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits609 ac
State parks187 ac
State conservation187 ac
State fish & wildlife166 ac
State natural resources88 ac
Other state land38 ac
Conservation Easement · 995 acPrivate Conservation · 313 acRecreation or Education Easement · 271 acLocal Other or Unknown · 218 acLocal Recreation Area · 190 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 464 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 14 of 144 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hassanamesit Woods Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 187 | Open |
| Great Meadows Tax Title Land Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 104 | Open |
| Brigham Hill Estates Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 94 | Open |
| Blackstone River Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Quinsigamond Marsh Access State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 55 | Open |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Gummere Wood Private Conservation | Not recorded | 42 | Unknown |
| Brookmeadow Village Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 41 | Open |
| Brookmeadow Village Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 39 | Open |
| Marsters Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Grafton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grafton
Point Rok Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Grafton
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Grafton
Pigeon Hill640 ft elevation
DirectionsPotter Hill594 ft elevation
DirectionsTower Hill577 ft elevation
DirectionsBrigham Hill571 ft elevation
DirectionsLazy Hill541 ft elevation
DirectionsKeith Hill528 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Grafton
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miHorses · 3.6 miUnpaved · 6.2 mi
Alternate Misco Brook Crossing0.3 mi
Silver Lake Connector0.2 mi
Pratt St Access0.1 mi
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
13Baseball
7Basketball
7Tennis
5Soccer
4Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Grafton InnBuilding · listed 1980
About itWillard House and Clock MuseumBuilding · listed 1982
About itGrafton Common Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itEthan Allen House and Gun ShopBuilding · listed 1995
About itFarnumsville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996
About itFisherville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996
About itGeorge Clapp HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itHassanamisco ReservationSite · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Grafton: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Grafton →
Next door
Grafton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Upton94 miWorcester71 miSutton67 miNorthbridge46 miGrafton45 miWestborough41 miShrewsbury35 miMillbury26 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | 13% | 2.0 | 87 | 96% | A+ |
| Upton | 21% | 4.4 | 370 | 81% | A+ |
| Westborough | 22% | 2.0 | 113 | 82% | A+ |
| Shrewsbury | 8% | 1.7 | 18 | 86% | A |
| Sutton | 18% | 2.1 | 289 | 66% | A |
| Northbridge | 17% | 2.7 | 97 | 76% | A+ |
| Millbury | 13% | 1.7 | 50 | 86% | A |
| Worcester | 11% | 1.9 | 12 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grafton
Where can I hike in Grafton?
The longest trail networks: Hennessy Land, 1.8 miles; Blackstone River Park, 1.4 miles; Blithewood Purchase, 1.4 miles; Brigham Hill Wildlife Area, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grafton is conserved land?
13% 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 Grafton’s trails?
Hennessy Land and Blackstone River Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Grafton?
38,019 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grafton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,915 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Grafton have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #126 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 Grafton 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 →