Bradley Palmer State Park
Nature preserve
485 acres11.2 mi of trail
Bay Circuit TrailSkull Face
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hamilton
Hamilton has 62 miles of mapped trails, 4.4 for every square mile of land
38% of Hamilton’s land is conserved, about 3,476 acres. 1,743 acres are parks and preserves, 229 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Bradley Palmer State Park (11.2 mi), Appleton Farms Grass Rides (7.4 mi), Manchester Watershed (5.9 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #76 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
3,476 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
62 mi
4.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,743 ac
229 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
210 ft
Blueberry Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Hamilton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town4.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, among the top 1% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild38% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam229 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hamilton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hamilton is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #76 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 Hamilton’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (62 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land229 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,743 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 73%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Hamilton’s 38% is ahead of 88% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% 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 Bradley Palmer State Park, with 11.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Appleton Farms Grass Rides
Nature preserve
282 acres7.4 mi of trail
Grass Rides LoopC.L.A. MileBay Circuit TrailPinnacle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Highland Street Parking Lot
Manchester Watershed
Nature preserve
267 acres5.9 mi of trail
Swamp RatQuick Zipper
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John J. Donovan Reservation
Managed by Essex County Greenbelt
171 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harvard Forest
Nature preserve
107 acres2.5 mi of trail
Discover Hamilton TrailBay Circuit Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Appleton Farms
Nature preserve
177 acres2.4 mi of trail
The Plains Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Highland Street Parking Lot
Vineyard Hill Reservation
Managed by Essex County Greenbelt
88 acres2.1 mi of trail
Vineyard Hill
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pingree Woodland
Nature preserve
140 acres2 mi of trail
Bay Circuit Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 27 parks & preserves
Bradley Palmer State Park485 acres · 11.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAppleton Farms Grass Rides282 acres · 7.4 mi of trail
DirectionsManchester Watershed267 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn J. Donovan Reservation171 acres · 3.5 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsHarvard Forest107 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
Appleton Farms177 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsVineyard Hill Reservation88 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsPingree Woodland140 acres · 2 mi of trail
Willowdale Mill Reservation24 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDonovan Fields and Woods52 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary644 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChebacco Lake State Boat Ramp3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Beach2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEssex County Greenbelt Land41 acres
Bridge Street Well Area23 acres
ECGA Land22 acres
Moulton Street Conservation Area17 acres
Michaela's Woods17 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Patton Park16 acres
DirectionsTaft Woods5 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Patton Wells Area4 acres
Pleasant Pond3 acres
Fairhaven Field2 acres
Helen Warren Richardson2 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Pondview1 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Cutler Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,476 conserved acres
38% of Hamilton’s land. Who manages Hamilton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,958 ac
Town or city597 ac
State parks170 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government170 ac
Other state land94 ac
Private owners8 ac
Not recorded1,707 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,471 acPrivate Conservation · 1,995 acUnknown Easement · 833 acLocal Other or Unknown · 118 acState Resource Management Area · 95 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,503 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 124 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 621 | Open |
| Appleton Farms Private Conservation | Not recorded | 457 | Open |
| Appleton Farms Grass Rides Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 370 | Closed |
| Myopia Hunt Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 348 | Restricted |
| Chebacco Woods Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Harvard Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 107 | Open |
| Gravelly Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 55 | Open |
| Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 42 | Open |
| Round Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 39 | Open |
| Essex County Greenbelt Association Private Conservation | Not recorded | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Hamilton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Hamilton
Wading PoolIn Bradley Palmer State Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Hamilton
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Hamilton
Chebacco Lake Boat RampIn Chebacco Lake State Boat Ramp
DirectionsPeaks in Hamilton
Blueberry Hill210 ft elevation · In Bradley Palmer State Park
DirectionsBrowns Hill200 ft elevation
DirectionsMoon Hill197 ft elevation · In Bradley Palmer State Park
DirectionsSagamore Hill180 ft elevation
DirectionsVineyard Hill171 ft elevation · In Vineyard Hill Reservation
DirectionsScilly's Hill164 ft elevation
DirectionsWillow Hill141 ft elevation · In John J. Donovan Reservation
DirectionsSavin Hill89 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Hamilton
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
17 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 21.0 miHorses · 3.3 miUnpaved · 35.3 mi
Bay Circuit Trail3.3 mi
Grass Rides Loop1.5 mi
C.L.A. Mile1.2 mi
Discover Hamilton Trail0.8 mi
TR Maple Swamp Connector0.8 mi
Fort0.8 mi
Vineyard Hill0.5 mi
Skull Face0.5 mi
The Plains Loop0.4 mi
Iron-Rail0.3 mi
7 more trails
Pinnacle Trail
0.3 miVera
0.3 miBones
0.2 miSwamp Rat
0.2 miConnector To Boardwalk
0.2 miOver The Top
0.2 miQuick Zipper
0.1 miLakes & 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.
Grass Rides LoopBike route
1.7 miCourts & fields
24Tennis
8Baseball
7Soccer
4Basketball
2Football
1Softball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hamilton Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itAustin Brown HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itBrown HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itEmeline Patch HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWoodberry-Quarrels HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itAsbury Grove Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009
About itCommunity HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hamilton: 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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 38 | 45 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hamilton →
Next door
Hamilton and its neighbors
Hamilton has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 38% | 4.4 | 229 | 84% | A+ |
| Ipswich | 51% | 3.2 | 316 | 98% | A+ |
| Topsfield | 37% | 2.5 | 222 | 87% | A+ |
| Essex | 31% | 2.7 | 372 | 91% | A+ |
| Wenham | 30% | 2.6 | 261 | 91% | A+ |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | 19% | 4.7 | 106 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hamilton
Where can I hike in Hamilton?
The longest trail networks: Bradley Palmer State Park, 11.2 miles; Appleton Farms Grass Rides, 7.4 miles; Manchester Watershed, 5.9 miles; John J. Donovan Reservation, 3.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hamilton is conserved land?
38% 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 Hamilton’s trails?
Bradley Palmer State Park and Appleton Farms Grass Rides don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hamilton?
45,983 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hamilton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,006 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hamilton have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #76 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 Hamilton 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 →