Granville State Forest
Nature preserve
1,696 acres9 mi of trail
Hubbard River TrailHalfway Brook TrailOre Hill Trail(uncleared)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Granville
More than half of Granville’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Granville’s land is conserved, about 13,960 acres. 1,060 acres are parks and preserves, 574 per 1,000 residents. 46 miles of mapped trail cross Granville, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
52%
13,960 acres · of 42.3 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,060 ac
574 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,470 ft
Liberty Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Granville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild52% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam574 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 82% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Granville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Granville is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Granville’s overall grade.
Conserved land52% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land574 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,060 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home25% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Granville’s 52% is ahead of 98% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 23% 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 Granville State Forest, with 9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Phelon Memorial Forest
Nature preserve
972 acres5.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
1,863 acres2.1 mi of trail
Ore Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Farmington River Watershed
Nature preserve
1,081 acres0.2 mi of trail
Ore Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Granville State Forest1,696 acres · 9 mi of trail
DirectionsPhelon Memorial Forest972 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBarkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land1,863 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
Farmington River Watershed1,081 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWendys Road Conservation Area25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Town Forest58 acres
Who protects it
13,960 conserved acres
52% of Granville’s land. Who manages Granville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,499 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,315 ac
Other state land232 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)198 ac
State parks79 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government56 ac
Private owners1 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 9,480 acConservation Easement · 3,444 acPrivate Conservation · 1,811 acState Resource Management Area · 1,692 acAgricultural Easement · 564 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,978 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 70 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 3,485 | Closed |
| Farmington River Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 2,774 | Open |
| Springfield Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 2,088 | Closed |
| Granville State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,692 | Open |
| Phelon Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 930 | Unknown |
| Little River Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 629 | Unknown |
| Phelon Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 495 | Closed |
| Barber Memorial Camp Private Conservation | Not recorded | 304 | Restricted |
| Springfield Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 221 | Closed |
| Western Mass Bird Dog Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 180 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Granville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Granville
3 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Granville
WaterfallIn Phelon Memorial Forest
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Granville
Liberty Hill1,470 ft elevation
DirectionsSweetman Mountain1,463 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill1,394 ft elevation
DirectionsHolden Hill1,352 ft elevation
DirectionsWinchell Mountain1,322 ft elevation
DirectionsHighest Point1,290 ft elevation
DirectionsSouth Mountain1,171 ft elevation
DirectionsCobble Mountain1,152 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Bad Luck Mountain1,138 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Sweetman Mountain1,112 ft elevation
DirectionsSodom Mountain1,070 ft elevation
DirectionsSeymour Mountain1,024 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Granville
Prospect Mountain Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miHorses · 0.9 miUnpaved · 29.2 mi
Ore Hill Trail2.3 mi
North Lane Number One2.2 mi
Hubbard River Trail1.7 mi
Halfway Brook Trail0.7 mi
(uncleared)0.6 mi
J & D Hewitt Trail0.5 mi
Camp Trail0.5 mi
Sattler Trail0.4 mi
Fire Road Trail0.4 mi
HQ South Trail0.4 mi
7 more trails
Bahre Pond Trail
0.4 miMeadow Trail
0.3 miBeaver Pond Loop
0.3 miOrdway Trail
0.3 miCCC Trail
0.2 miHQ North Trail
0.2 miCourduroy Trail
0.1 miHistory 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 Granville: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Granville →
Next door
Granville and its neighbors
Granville has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granville | 52% | 1.1 | 574 | 25% | A |
| Southwick | 14% | 1.1 | 62 | 52% | A− |
| Tolland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Westfield | 17% | 0.7 | 37 | 85% | A |
| Russell | 45% | 1.1 | 942 | 52% | A |
| Blandford | 51% | 0.9 | 3,087 | 74% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Granville
Where can I hike in Granville?
The longest trail networks: Granville State Forest, 9 miles; Phelon Memorial Forest, 5.7 miles; Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, 2.1 miles; Farmington River Watershed, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Granville is conserved land?
52% 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 Granville’s trails?
Granville State Forest and Phelon Memorial Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Granville?
50,358 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Granville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,606 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Granville have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Granville 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 →