Appalachian Trail Corridor
Managed by National Park Service
795 acres4 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hinsdale
Hinsdale has 2,234 acres of parks, 1,202 for every 1,000 residents
40% of Hinsdale’s land is conserved, about 5,285 acres. The biggest trail networks: Appalachian Trail Corridor (4 mi), Windsor Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement (2.2 mi). 12 miles of mapped trail cross Hinsdale, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
40%
5,285 acres · of 20.7 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,234 ac
1,202 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,070 ft
Tully Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Hinsdale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hinsdale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hinsdale is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hinsdale’s overall grade.
Conserved land40% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,202 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,234 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home74% 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 94%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Hinsdale’s 40% is ahead of 90% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 8% of them.
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 Appalachian Trail Corridor, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Windsor Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
1,390 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Old Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Managed by BNRC
24 acres0.4 mi of trail
Old Mill Trail (accessible)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Old Mill Trail Parking
Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,544 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Appalachian Trail Corridor795 acres · 4 mi of trail · National Park Service
Windsor Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement1,390 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
Old Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · BNRC
DirectionsHinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area1,544 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Ashmere Lake State Park182 acres
Wahconah Falls State Park19 acres · DCR - Division Of State Parks And Recreation
Ml Ransford Athletic Field7 acres
Ashmere Island7 acres · Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Middlefield State Forest5 acres
Who protects it
5,285 conserved acres
40% of Hinsdale’s land. Who manages Hinsdale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,412 ac
State fish & wildlife1,387 ac
National Park Service778 ac
Town or city8 ac
State conservation7 ac
Not recorded3,059 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,755 acState Conservation Area · 2,299 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 778 acWatershed Protection Area · 758 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,431 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 57 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,908 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 778 | Open |
| Cleveland Brook Reservoir Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 520 | Unknown |
| Upper Sackett Reservoir Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 238 | Unknown |
| Ashmere Lake State Park State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 182 | Open |
| Belmont Reservoir Water Supply Land State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 102 | Unknown |
| Tracy Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Hinsdale Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Wahconah Falls State Park State Park | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| Western District Hq State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Hinsdale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hinsdale
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Hinsdale
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Hinsdale
Tully Mountain2,070 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Corridor
DirectionsWarner Hill2,057 ft elevation · In Appalachian Trail Corridor
DirectionsBarrett Hill1,703 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hinsdale
Camp Romaca
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Appalachian Trail2.3 mi
Old Mill Trail (accessible)0.4 mi
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
18Tennis
11Basketball
10Baseball
1Multi-sport
1Soccer
1Hockey rinks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hinsdale: May and July
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) | 30 | 34 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hinsdale →
Next door
Hinsdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale | 40% | 0.6 | 1,202 | 74% | A |
| Peru | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dalton | 52% | 1.3 | 608 | 92% | A+ |
| Washington | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hinsdale
Where can I hike in Hinsdale?
The longest trail networks: Appalachian Trail Corridor, 4 miles; Windsor Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement, 2.2 miles; Old Mill Trail, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC), 0.4 miles; Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale’s trails?
Appalachian Trail Corridor and Windsor Brook Wildlife Conservation Easement don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hinsdale?
99,863 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hinsdale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,381 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hinsdale have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Hinsdale 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 →