Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.066 miles of mapped trail cross Granby, 2.4 per square mile of land. 26% of Granby’s land is conserved, about 4,610 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mount Holyoke Range State Park (35.5 mi), Facing Rock Wildlife Management Area (2.2 mi), Facing Rock Wildlife Conservation Easement (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #159 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Granby is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #159 of 283 in Massachusetts. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Granby’s 26% is ahead of 64% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Mount Holyoke Range State Park, with 35.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
26% of Granby’s land. Who manages Granby’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 867 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 95 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Holyoke Range State Park State Park | Not recorded | 2,285 | Open |
| Chicopee Sportsmens Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 382 | Restricted |
| Granby Bow & Gun Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 263 | Restricted |
| Dufresne Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 195 | Open |
| Facing Rock Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 157 | Open |
| Bachelor Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 130 | Restricted |
| Bachelor Brook Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 75 | Open |
| Batchelor Brook Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Forge Pond Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Town of Granby Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Granby →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granby | 26% | 2.4 | 531 | 61% | A+ |
| South Hadley | 31% | 3.3 | 168 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Amherst Town | 35% | 4.0 | 95 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Ludlow | 24% | 1.6 | 103 | 77% | A+ |
| Belchertown | 24% | 1.8 | 185 | 67% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Mount Holyoke Range State Park, 35.5 miles; Facing Rock Wildlife Management Area, 2.2 miles; Facing Rock Wildlife Conservation Easement, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
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.
Mount Holyoke Range State Park and Facing Rock Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes.
48,019 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Granby or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,287 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #159 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Granby neighbors.
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 →