Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
879 acres10.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Burrage Pond
Photo: T.S. Custadio ToddC4176 15:19, 11 March 2007 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Halifax
Halifax has 34 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
2,031 acres are parks and preserves, 262 per 1,000 residents. 25% of Halifax’s land is conserved, about 2,520 acres. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #71 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
2,520 acres · of 16.0 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,031 ac
262 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Halifax?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Halifax have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Halifax is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Halifax’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land262 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,031 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% 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 75%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Halifax’s 25% is ahead of 62% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% of them.
Water is 8% of Halifax’s area (1 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 23%.
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 Burrage Pond WMA, with 10.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wildlands Trust - Striar Conservancy
Nature preserve
162 acres1.1 mi of trail
Main TrailSide LoopRiverview Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Stump Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
228 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Peterson Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
248 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area879 acres · 10.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWildlands Trust - Striar Conservancy162 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStump Brook Wildlife Sanctuary228 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Peterson Swamp Wildlife Management Area248 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Town of Halifax Randall-Hilliard Preserve84 acres
Conservation Land Off Hayward St21 acres
Taunton River Wildlife Management Area13 acres
Cons Land Off Indian Path Rd4 acres
Cons Land Off Pratt St3 acres
Richmond Park3 acres · Town Of Halifax
Frank Lydon Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,520 conserved acres
25% of Halifax’s land. Water is left out: Halifax has 16.0 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Halifax’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,090 ac
State natural resources333 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits250 ac
Town or city116 ac
Not recorded1,855 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,205 acState Resource Management Area · 683 acConservation Easement · 588 acPrivate Conservation · 465 acWatershed Protection Area · 212 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 172 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,607 | Open |
| Peterson Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 268 | Restricted |
| Stump Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 248 | Open |
| Halifax Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 201 | Open |
| Turkey Swamp Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 197 | Open |
| Striar Conservancy Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 162 | Closed |
| Randall Hilliard Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 80 | Restricted |
| Camp Ousamequin Recreation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 41 | Open |
| The Farmer John Zaro Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 34 | Closed |
| Halifax HOPS Playground Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Halifax
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Halifax
Lingan Street Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Halifax
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Halifax
Monponsett Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.7 mi
Main Trail0.7 mi
Side Loop0.3 mi
Riverview Loop Trail0.1 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
4Tennis
1Skate park
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Halifax: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
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 Halifax →
Next door
Halifax and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middleborough98 miPlympton40 miHanson38 miHalifax34 miPembroke32 miBridgewater Town19 miEast Bridgewater5.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | 25% | 2.1 | 262 | 93% | A+ |
| Pembroke | 19% | 1.5 | 77 | 87% | A+ |
| Bridgewater Town | 20% | 0.7 | 65 | 78% | A |
| Plympton | 3% | 2.7 | 37 | 38% | B+ |
| Hanson | 20% | 2.5 | 148 | 93% | A+ |
| East Bridgewater | 11% | 0.3 | 56 | 90% | A− |
| Middleborough | 21% | 1.4 | 267 | 64% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Halifax
Where can I hike in Halifax?
The longest trail networks: Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, 10.5 miles; Wildlands Trust - Striar Conservancy, 1.1 miles; Stump Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.6 miles; Peterson Swamp Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Halifax is conserved land?
25% 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 Halifax’s trails?
Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area and Wildlands Trust - Striar Conservancy don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Halifax?
41,508 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Halifax or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,419 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Halifax have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Halifax 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 →