Delaney Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
335 acres7.2 mi of trail
Primary TrailSecondary Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Emily Cotter · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Harvard
Harvard has 97 miles of mapped trails, 3.7 for every square mile of land
4,564 acres are parks and preserves, 659 per 1,000 residents. 31% of Harvard’s land is conserved, about 5,209 acres. The biggest trail networks: Delaney Wildlife Management Area (7.2 mi), Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge (6.4 mi), Fruitlands Museum (4.5 mi).
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #14 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
5,209 acres · of 26.4 sq mi of land
Trails
97 mi
3.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,564 ac
659 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.2 mi
4.9 mi lanes
Highest peak
614 ft
Oak Hill
Lakes & rivers
17
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Harvard?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town3.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 98% of U.S. towns.Room to roam659 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild31% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harvard have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harvard is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Harvard’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (97 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land659 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,564 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home97% 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 95%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Harvard’s 31% is ahead of 75% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 85% 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 Delaney WMA, with 7.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
1,213 acres6.4 mi of trail
Riverside TrailTurnpike TrailGoddard Memorial Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Fruitlands Museum
Nature preserve
209 acres4.5 mi of trail
Harvard Snowmobile Club TrailOrange TrailRed TrailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sprague Land
Nature preserve
105 acres1.8 mi of trail
Primary TrailField Perimeter TrailField perimeter trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Prospect Hill (Newman Land)
Nature preserve
62 acres1.5 mi of trail
Prospect Hill Trail - Secondary (blue blaze)Prospect Hill Trail - Primary (yellow blaze)Prospect Hill Primary Trail (yellow blazes)Prospect Hill Secondary Trail (blue blazes)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Holy Hill (A7)
Nature preserve
32 acres1.5 mi of trail
Holy Hill (yellow blaze)Holy Hill (blue blaze)Holy Hill (steep) (blue blaze)Closed (very steep)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Great Elms
Nature preserve
69 acres1.4 mi of trail
Great Elms Primary Trail (blue blaze)Great Elms Alternate EntranceBrown Trail (blue blazes)Brehm East (Blue blazes)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hermann Orchard
Nature preserve
52 acres1.4 mi of trail
Hermann Orchard TrailYellow blaze trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 144 parks & preserves
Delaney Wildlife Management Area335 acres · 7.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbow National Wildlife Refuge1,213 acres · 6.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFruitlands Museum209 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSprague Land105 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsProspect Hill (Newman Land)62 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Holy Hill (A7)32 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Great Elms69 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHermann Orchard52 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Clapp44 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Forest42 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Eastern Greenway (South)114 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Bare Hill Wildlife Sanctuary52 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsReed-Powell Land31 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsMccurdy Track and Woods25 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBurgess-Brown Land42 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsScorgie Land39 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBlack Pond51 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Horse Meadows Knoll46 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWillard Land42 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Commission
DirectionsEastern Greenway (Central)42 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsMuller Land - HCT27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsTufts27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Williams Land63 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBlomfelt Land31 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsVesenka Land25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Commission
Shaker Springhouse18 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTripp Conservation Land48 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsOhlin Land25 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Old Mill Road Land22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Three Brothers38 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Warila Land31 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Bowers Spring - Visockas28 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Coke/Newsham Land27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsKaufmann Land20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMaxant Land18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsDaman Land40 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Saint Scholastica/Luongo Land34 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
East Bare Hill Land31 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Russo Land21 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Barba Land19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDolan Mason Land16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Poitras Land14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBrehm Land13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWestOak11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Cram Land (Pin Hill Area)10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsStone Land6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Coke Land43 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Dunlap Land (CR)34 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Dean's Hill Conservation Restriction34 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Farwell Quarry28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Mirror Lake24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Mirror Lake Management
DirectionsW Smith Land & Tufts Land 216 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Bowers Spring - Sprague15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
May's Easement15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Harris Lane Land13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsTully Land12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Hoch Land12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Old Littleton Meadow9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Holy Hill (B2)9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Callahan8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Stephenson #130 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Drs Amin and Nahid Rathore Conservation Restriction26 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
Maxant Conservation Restriction25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsGillette Land Or Horse Meadows21 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSmith Conservation Restriction12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Ryan Field10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn's Field Conservation Land10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Holy Hill (A1)10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Holy Hill (C)9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEastview (Elwell) Land8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsStephenson #27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Holy Hill (A6)5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWilfret Land (Pin Hill Proj)4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBlack Pond Access3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Holy Hill (B1)16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBarba's Point14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Commission
DirectionsShaker's Quarry7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Commission
Newman 2 Land7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fuller Dudley Woods6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fuller Dudley Woods West Conservation Restriction5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Holy Hill (A2)5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Williams Pond4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHoly Hill ((A4)3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Carey Land3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bartsch Land2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bamford Land2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Harvard Conservation Commission
Holy Hill (A8)1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area90 acres
DirectionsBarton Land;Barton 3/Bare Hill Pond Area50 acres
DirectionsSlattery48 acres
Eastern Greenway (North)46 acres · Sudbury Valley Trustees
Beaver Brook Woods45 acres · Harvard Conservation Trust
Farnsworth Land41 acres
DirectionsAyer Road Meadows29 acres
DirectionsBarton Land28 acres
Barber Land27 acres
Barrett Land25 acres · Harvard Conservation Commission
Galeota/Rennie Conservation Area22 acres
Stone Family Farm19 acres · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsWhite Lane Land17 acres
Rodriguez Land14 acres
Town Beach13 acres · Park and Rec
DirectionsHaskell #1 (Still River)13 acres
Stephenson #311 acres
Stephenson #511 acres
DirectionsShaker Village Gp-Holy Hill D10 acres
Harvard Park10 acres
DirectionsShapley Land10 acres
Reed Land10 acres
Sullivan Land9 acres
Porter Land9 acres
Bush Land8 acres
Horne Land8 acres
Corzine/Macknight Land8 acres
Cobb7 acres · Town of Harvard
Holy Hill (A5)6 acres
DirectionsHaskell-Viles Et Al6 acres
Terry Land6 acres
DirectionsRowe Land6 acres
DirectionsBrewer Land6 acres
Ward (HCT)5 acres
Wheeler Land5 acres
Schmidt Land5 acres
DirectionsSlattery Land 15 acres
Shaker Meadows Corp Lots4 acres
Boca Land4 acres
Case Land3 acres
Brown Land3 acres
Bartlett Land3 acres
DirectionsWillow Road Land3 acres
Greenough Reserve3 acres
Elkinson3 acres · Harvard Conservation Trust
DirectionsHill Land2 acres
Shaker Reservoir2 acres
Muller Land2 acres
Griffin/Dutcher Land2 acres
Barton #2 (Woodside Road)2 acres
Robb Land2 acres
DirectionsHarvard Historical Soc Land2 acres
Goodwin Land (HCT)1 acres
Hammersheimb Land1 acres
Maxant Gift1 acres · Harvard Conservation Trust
Holy Hill (B3) Herb House1 acres
Bull Land1 acres
Who protects it
5,209 conserved acres
31% of Harvard’s land. Who manages Harvard’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,382 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,394 ac
Other state land434 ac
Town or city420 ac
State fish & wildlife89 ac
Not recorded2,739 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,378 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,555 acConservation Easement · 1,552 acAgricultural Easement · 427 acState Other or Unknown · 390 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,151 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 268 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,378 | Restricted |
| Delaney Flood Control Site State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 382 | Open |
| Fruitlands Museum State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 210 | Restricted |
| Shaker Hills Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 154 | Open |
| Town of Harvard Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 125 | Unknown |
| Still River Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Open |
| Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 90 | Open |
| Hy-Crest Ranches, Inc. State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 89 | Open |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 88 | Open |
| Holy Hill Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Harvard
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Harvard
Harvard Town BeachIn Town Beach
DirectionsThurston's Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Harvard
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Harvard
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Harvard
Oak Hill614 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill614 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill561 ft elevation
DirectionsDean's Hill515 ft elevation
DirectionsPin Hill South486 ft elevation · In Farwell Quarry
DirectionsPin Hill North482 ft elevation · In Farwell Quarry
DirectionsPicnic areas in Harvard
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.6 miHorses · 5.5 miUnpaved · 77.2 mi
Harvard Snowmobile Club Trail13.4 mi
Primary Trail2.7 mi
Hermann Orchard Trail1.5 mi
Holy Hill (yellow blaze)1.4 mi
Mirror Lake (secondary trail)1.4 mi
Black Pond Trail (yellow blaze)1.2 mi
Mirror Lake Trail (primary)1.2 mi
Bowers Springs Trail1.1 mi
Harvard Park0.9 mi
Holy Hill (blue blaze)0.8 mi
15 more trails
Orange Trail
0.8 miRiverside Trail
0.8 miGreat Elms Primary Trail (blue blaze)
0.8 miCold Spring Brook Trail
0.8 miRed Trail
0.7 miKaufman Trail (yellow blaze)
0.7 miYellow Trail
0.7 miProspect Hill Trail - Secondary (blue blaze)
0.7 miYellow blaze trail
0.7 miPowell/Reed/Abbot (yellow blaze)
0.7 miBlomfelt (Yellow Blaze)
0.7 miTurnpike Trail
0.7 miRecreation Trail
0.7 miMuller Land (Yellow blaze)
0.7 miBare Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
0.6 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
(NHESP Potential Vernal Pool)pond(potential NHESP vernal pool)pondBare Hill PondreservoirBlack Spruce BoglakeDelaney PondpondFrog PondHorse Meadows ReservoirreservoirLittle Mirror LakelakeMirror LakelakeNHESP Certified Vernal PoolpondNHESP Potential Vernal PoolpondNHESP-certified Vernal PoolpondNashua River ReservoirreservoirOld MillpondreservoirRobbins PondCold Spring BrookNashua River
Biking & sports
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
16Tennis
6Soccer
5Baseball
4Basketball
4Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 23 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Harvard Shaker Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itFort Devens Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itFrederick Fiske and Gretchen Osgood Warren HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itStill River Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1996
About itFruitlands Museums Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997
About itHarvard Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Harvard: April 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Harvard →
Next door
Harvard and its neighbors
Harvard has the most mapped trails of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 31% | 3.7 | 659 | 97% | A+ |
| Lancaster | 14% | 1.0 | 253 | 70% | A |
| Shirley | 28% | 1.7 | 390 | 95% | A+ |
| Devens | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ayer | 16% | 1.8 | 62 | 94% | A+ |
| Boxborough | 18% | 3.3 | 275 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Bolton | 29% | 3.2 | 358 | 88% | A+ |
| Littleton | 17% | 2.8 | 155 | 96% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harvard
Where can I hike in Harvard?
The longest trail networks: Delaney Wildlife Management Area, 7.2 miles; Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, 6.4 miles; Fruitlands Museum, 4.5 miles; Sprague Land, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harvard is conserved land?
31% 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 Harvard’s trails?
Delaney Wildlife Management Area and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harvard?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.9 of painted or protected lanes and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Harvard?
58,543 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harvard or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,667 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harvard have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Harvard 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 →