Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
952 acres8.6 mi of trail
Indian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Burrage Pond
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hanson
Hanson has 38 miles of mapped trails, 2.5 for every square mile of land
1,580 acres are parks and preserves, 148 per 1,000 residents. 20% of Hanson’s land is conserved, about 1,911 acres. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #95 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
1,911 acres · of 15.0 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,580 ac
148 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
157 ft
Bonney Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Hanson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hanson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hanson is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #95 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 Hanson’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land148 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,580 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)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 67%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Hanson’s 20% is ahead of 44% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 66% 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 Burrage Pond WMA, with 8.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Poor Meadow Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
111 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Smith-Nawazelski Conservation
Poor Meadow Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
131 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Plymouth County Conservation
Nature preserve
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Indian Head River Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto IHRT Parking
All 10 parks & preserves
Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area952 acres · 8.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPoor Meadow Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement111 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPoor Meadow Brook Conservation Area131 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
Plymouth County Conservation10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRocky Run Conservation Area4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Waldo Drake Conservation Area9 acres
Memorial Field9 acres
Drinkwater River Conservation Area4 acres · Town of Hanson Conservation Commission
Daws Meadow3 acres
Town Hall Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,911 conserved acres
20% of Hanson’s land. Who manages Hanson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city338 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits262 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)204 ac
State natural resources110 ac
State fish & wildlife110 ac
Not recorded1,382 ac
State Conservation Area · 952 acConservation Easement · 687 acLocal Other or Unknown · 258 acLocal Conservation Area · 232 acLocal Park · 102 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 346 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 52 parcels. 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 | 952 | Open |
| Town of Hanson Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 203 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 157 | Open |
| Brian Gaffey Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 63 | Restricted |
| Crystal Springs Well Field Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 61 | Closed |
| Plymouth County Hospital Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Town Forest Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Whitman Hanson Regional High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 34 | Restricted |
| Indian Head Brook Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 25 | Open |
| Fern Hill Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Hanson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hanson
Hancock St. Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Hanson
Bonney Hill157 ft elevation
DirectionsRye Hill151 ft elevation
DirectionsPerry Hill85 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.8 mi
Bay Circuit Trail0.7 mi
Indian Head River Trail0.3 mi
Indian Trail0.2 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
13Baseball
5Tennis
4Basketball
2Soccer
1Football
1Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hanson: 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 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
July is the driest month (3.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Hanson →
Next door
Hanson and its neighbors
Hanson has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanson | 20% | 2.5 | 148 | 93% | A+ |
| Hanover | 14% | 1.6 | 82 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Pembroke | 19% | 1.5 | 77 | 87% | A+ |
| Halifax | 25% | 2.1 | 262 | 93% | A+ |
| East Bridgewater | 11% | 0.3 | 56 | 90% | A− |
| Whitman | 11% | 0.3 | 40 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hanson
Where can I hike in Hanson?
The longest trail networks: Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, 8.6 miles; Poor Meadow Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement, 2.4 miles; Poor Meadow Brook Conservation Area, 1.8 miles; Plymouth County Conservation, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hanson is conserved land?
20% 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 Hanson’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Plymouth County Conservation (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hanson?
37,707 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,715 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hanson have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 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 Hanson 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 →