Trout Brook Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Holden Conservation Commission
663 acres6.8 mi of trail
Blue Dot Trail (Bob Elms)White Dot TrailRed Dot TrailWhite Oak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Terageorge~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Holden
45% of Holden’s land is conserved: 10,071 acres
67 miles of mapped trail cross Holden, 1.9 per square mile of land. 2,237 acres are parks and preserves, 112 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Trout Brook Conservation Area (6.8 mi), Eagle Lake Wildlife Refuge (3 mi), Cascades West (2 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #183 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
45%
10,071 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
67 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,237 ac
112 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Highest peak
1,083 ft
Stonehouse Hill
Lakes & rivers
16
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Holden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Holden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Holden is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #183 of 283 in Massachusetts. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Holden’s overall grade.
Conserved land45% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (67 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land112 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,237 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home55% 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 of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 35%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Holden’s 45% is ahead of 96% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 48% 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 Trout Brook Conservation Area, with 6.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eagle Lake Wildlife Refuge
Managed by Mass Audubon
396 acres3 mi of trail
Appleton LoopAsnebumskit LoopPipeline TrailAlder Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Cascades West
Nature preserve
99 acres2 mi of trail
Meadow Ridge TrailSilver Spring Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Holbrook Forest
Nature preserve
84 acres1.8 mi of trail
Blackberry TrailKinneywood LoopCousins' RockWall Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Poutwater Pond Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
393 acres1.5 mi of trail
White Oak Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
KinneyWoods
Nature preserve
52 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dresser LoopCross Loop TrailCrystal Pond Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wachusett Reservoir Watershed
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
1,102 acres1.4 mi of trail
White Oak Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
White Oak Land
Nature preserve
93 acres1 mi of trail
White Oak Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Trout Brook Conservation Area663 acres · 6.8 mi of trail · Town of Holden Conservation Commission
DirectionsEagle Lake Wildlife Refuge396 acres · 3 mi of trail · Mass Audubon
DirectionsCascades West99 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsHolbrook Forest84 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPoutwater Pond Wildlife Management Area393 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
KinneyWoods52 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWachusett Reservoir Watershed1,102 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsWhite Oak Land93 acres · 1 mi of trail
Eagle Lake Town Beach13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWhite Property6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsQuinapoxet River Access36 acres
DirectionsWachusett Valley Estates Conservation Area27 acres
Laurel Woods Wildlife Sanctry17 acres
Conservation Land12 acres
Kimball Park9 acres
Winthrop Oaks Park6 acres
Who protects it
10,071 conserved acres
45% of Holden’s land. Who manages Holden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation2,910 ac
Other state land928 ac
Town or city912 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits329 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government92 ac
Joint48 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)16 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 9,859 acConservation Easement · 1,199 acAgricultural Easement · 914 acPrivate Conservation · 737 acState Conservation Area · 380 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,174 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 252 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wachusett Reservoir Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 3,878 | Restricted |
| Worcester Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 3,264 | Closed |
| DCR Division of Water Supply Protection 1 Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 1,390 | Closed |
| Poutwater Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 380 | Open |
| DCR - Division of Water Supply Protection 36 Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 324 | Closed |
| Maple Spring Pond Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 226 | Closed |
| Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 206 | Restricted |
| DCR - Division of Water Supply Protection 10 Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 123 | Closed |
| Wachusett Watershed Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 116 | Closed |
| White Oak Land Conservation Society Private Conservation | Not recorded | 114 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Holden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Holden
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Holden
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Holden
Stonehouse Hill1,083 ft elevation
DirectionsDavis Hill1,073 ft elevation
DirectionsSmith Hill1,017 ft elevation
DirectionsKendall Hill1,001 ft elevation
DirectionsHolt Hill912 ft elevation
DirectionsDrury Hill856 ft elevation
DirectionsDavis Hill853 ft elevation
DirectionsChristian Hill837 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Holden
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Holden
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.5 miUnpaved · 26.2 mi
White Oak Trail3.6 mi
Blue Dot Trail (Bob Elms)1.8 mi
Asnebumskit Ridge Trail1.8 mi
White Dot Trail1.2 mi
Dresser Loop1.0 mi
Appleton Loop0.9 mi
Asnebumskit Loop0.9 mi
Meadow Ridge Trail0.8 mi
Red Dot Trail0.8 mi
Central Massachusetts Branch0.7 mi
15 more trails
Pipeline Trail
0.7 miBlackberry Trail
0.6 miPeabody Family Path
0.5 miCanada Mills Trail
0.5 miBlueberry HIll
0.4 miShort Loop Trail
0.4 miAlder Trail
0.4 miSilver Spring Trail
0.4 miEagle Lake Nature Trail
0.4 miX-Mas Tree Trail
0.3 miKinneywood Loop
0.2 miHemlock Path
0.2 miCross Loop Trail
0.2 miCousins' Rock
0.2 miUpper X-MAS Tree Connector
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Chaffin PondCournoyer PondreservoirCrystal PondDawson PondEagle LakereservoirHolden Reservoir Number OnereservoirHolden Reservoir Number TworeservoirKendall ReservoirreservoirMaple Spring PondreservoirMill PondNorcross Pond Number ThreereservoirPoutwater PondpondQuinapoxet ReservoirreservoirStump PondreservoirUnionville PondreservoirQuinapoxet River
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Tennis
13Baseball
8Soccer
5Basketball
2Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Holden Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itRogers HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itBrown-Davis-Frost FarmBuilding · listed 1995
About itHubbard-Dawson HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itManning-Ball HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itStony FarmBuilding · listed 1995
About itPaddock FarmBuilding · listed 1996
About itWillard-Fisk HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itEagleville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Holden: 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) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Holden →
Next door
Holden and its neighbors
Holden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | 45% | 1.9 | 112 | 55% | A |
| Paxton | 42% | 1.4 | 277 | 84% | A+ |
| Rutland | 46% | 0.9 | 148 | 36% | A |
| West Boylston | 44% | 0.9 | 7 | 54% | B+ |
| Princeton | 49% | 1.9 | 1,031 | 72% | A+ |
| Sterling | 38% | 0.8 | 113 | 65% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Holden
Where can I hike in Holden?
The longest trail networks: Trout Brook Conservation Area, 6.8 miles; Eagle Lake Wildlife Refuge, 3 miles; Cascades West, 2 miles; Holbrook Forest, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Holden is conserved land?
45% 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 Holden’s trails?
Trout Brook Conservation Area and Eagle Lake Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Holden?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Holden?
40,261 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Holden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,276 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Holden have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #183 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 Holden 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 →