Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
Managed by DCR - Division Of Water Supply Protection
5,674 acres5.3 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: en:User:LymanSchool (Richard B. Johnson) · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hardwick
Hardwick has 3,603 acres of parks, 1,342 for every 1,000 residents
40% of Hardwick’s land is conserved, about 9,936 acres. The biggest trail networks: Quabbin Reservoir Reservation (5.3 mi), Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area (2.1 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #191 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
40%
9,936 acres · of 38.6 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,603 ac
1,342 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,142 ft
Poverty Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Hardwick?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hardwick have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hardwick is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #191 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hardwick’s overall grade.
Conserved land40% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1,342 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,603 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home85% 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 93%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 33%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Hardwick’s 40% is ahead of 90% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 4% of them.
Water is 6% of Hardwick’s area (2 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 38%.
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 Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,869 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Muddy Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
575 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
121 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Quabbin Reservoir Reservation5,674 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · DCR - Division Of Water Supply Protection
DirectionsMuddy Brook Wildlife Management Area1,869 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Muddy Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement575 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMoose Brook Wildlife Management Area121 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Mandell Hill Conservation Area205 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Quabbin/Dana72 acres · DCR
Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area63 acres
Ware River Wildlife Management Area49 acres
Baker Lot40 acres
Deer Park23 acres
Ware River Park21 acres
DirectionsMoose Brook Access17 acres
Paige Farm6 acres
Memorial Field3 acres
Goddard Park3 acres
Who protects it
9,936 conserved acres
40% of Hardwick’s land. Water is left out: Hardwick has 38.6 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hardwick’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,650 ac
Other state land1,615 ac
State fish & wildlife828 ac
State natural resources684 ac
Town or city209 ac
Joint103 ac
State conservation76 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 4,476 acConservation Easement · 2,779 acState Conservation Area · 2,175 acAgricultural Easement · 1,550 acPrivate Conservation · 507 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,320 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 150 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quabbin Reservoir Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 4,395 | Restricted |
| Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2,058 | Open |
| Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 278 | Open |
| Hardwick Rod And Gun Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 202 | Restricted |
| South Barre Rod & Gun Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 129 | Restricted |
| Patrill Hollow Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 122 | Open |
| Dunroamin Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 101 | Restricted |
| Quabbin Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 72 | Closed |
| Hardwick Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 65 | Open |
| Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 64 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Hardwick
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hardwick
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Hardwick
Poverty Hill1,142 ft elevation
DirectionsCharity Hill1,093 ft elevation
DirectionsWebb Hill1,063 ft elevation · In Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
DirectionsDougal Mountain1,050 ft elevation
DirectionsRuggles Hill1,004 ft elevation
DirectionsGoat Hill997 ft elevation
DirectionsMandell Hill968 ft elevation · In Mandell Hill Conservation Area
DirectionsDen Hill748 ft elevation · In Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
Directions1 more peak
Walker Hill673 ft elevation · In Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.9 mi
Mandell Hill0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
2Multi-sport
2Soccer
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Hardwick: 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) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hardwick →
Next door
Hardwick and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwick | 40% | 0.4 | 1,342 | 85% | A |
| New Braintree | 18% | 0.1 | 1,065 | 64% | B+ |
| Petersham | 77% | 1.4 | 4,590 | 74% | A+ |
| Ware | 30% | 0.7 | 119 | 76% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hardwick
Where can I hike in Hardwick?
The longest trail networks: Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, 5.3 miles; Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area, 2.1 miles; Muddy Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement, 0.4 miles; Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hardwick is conserved land?
40% 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 Hardwick’s trails?
Quabbin Reservoir Reservation and Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hardwick?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hardwick?
45,211 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hardwick or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,837 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hardwick have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #191 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 Hardwick 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 →