Lancaster Town Forest
Nature preserve
325 acres3.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shirley Shaker Village · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lancaster
Lancaster has 2,175 acres of parks, 253 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Lancaster’s land is conserved, about 2,429 acres. 26 miles of mapped trail cross Lancaster, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lancaster Town Forest (3.2 mi), Chapman-Goodale Conservation Land (2.5 mi), Cook Conservation Area (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #212 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,429 acres · of 27.5 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,175 ac
253 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
548 ft
Pond Hill
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lancaster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam253 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild14% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 79% of U.S. towns.History along the way17 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lancaster is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #212 of 283 in Massachusetts. 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 Lancaster’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land253 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,175 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home70% 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 91%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 25%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Lancaster’s 14% is ahead of 18% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 18% 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 Lancaster Town Forest, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chapman-Goodale Conservation Land
Nature preserve
268 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
102 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Thayer Memorial Forest
Nature preserve
98 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
557 acres1 mi of trail
Bolton Flats Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 14 parks & preserves
Lancaster Town Forest325 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChapman-Goodale Conservation Land268 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
Cook Conservation Area102 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsThayer Memorial Forest98 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area557 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsFitchurg State College Conservation Land71 acres
Confarm Forest65 acres
DirectionsParker Family Woods61 acres
Chickering Conservation Land10 acres
Bartlett Pond Conservation Area9 acres
DirectionsConservation Com Land7 acres
Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge3 acres
DirectionsCosimi Conservation Area2 acres
Route 117 Canoe Launch1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,429 conserved acres
14% of Lancaster’s land. Who manages Lancaster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city231 ac
State fish & wildlife155 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits52 ac
Other state land32 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service10 ac
Not recorded2,182 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,473 acLocal Resource Management Area · 497 acPrivate Conservation · 197 acLocal Conservation Area · 90 acConservation Easement · 86 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 59 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 92 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 865 | Open |
| Lancaster-Blood Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 467 | Open |
| Cook Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 295 | Open |
| Lancaster State Forest State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 113 | Open |
| Thayer Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 98 | Open |
| Sterling National Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 81 | Restricted |
| Eagle Ridge Estates Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| St John's Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 69 | Unknown |
| Confarm Forest State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Parker Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 55 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Lancaster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lancaster
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lancaster
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Lancaster
Fort Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Lancaster
Pond Hill548 ft elevation
DirectionsGeorge Hill515 ft elevation
DirectionsHawthorn Hill499 ft elevation
DirectionsWhittemore Hill453 ft elevation
DirectionsBallard Hill427 ft elevation
DirectionsShaker Hill390 ft elevation
DirectionsTreasury Hill243 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Lancaster
Picnic Area
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 4.9 miUnpaved · 13.0 mi
Bolton Flats Trail0.5 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
19Soccer
11Basketball
3Baseball
2Tennis
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →17 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Shirley Shaker VillageDistrict · listed 1976
About itNathaniel Thayer EstateBuilding · listed 1976
About itLancaster Industrial School for GirlsDistrict · listed 1976
About itSouth Lancaster Engine HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itAnthony Lane HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itCenter Village DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itNorth Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itCentre Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itPonakin BridgeStructure · listed 1979
About itAtherton BridgeStructure · listed 1979
About itFounder's HallBuilding · listed 1980
About it5 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lancaster: 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 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lancaster →
Next door
Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 14% | 1.0 | 253 | 70% | A |
| Harvard | 31% | 3.7 | 659 | 97% | A+ |
| Devens | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Leominster | 35% | 2.4 | 50 | 89% | A+ |
| Bolton | 29% | 3.2 | 358 | 88% | A+ |
| Clinton | 19% | 1.8 | 9 | 99% | 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 Lancaster
Where can I hike in Lancaster?
The longest trail networks: Lancaster Town Forest, 3.2 miles; Chapman-Goodale Conservation Land, 2.5 miles; Cook Conservation Area, 1.9 miles; Thayer Memorial Forest, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lancaster is conserved land?
14% 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 Lancaster’s trails?
Lancaster Town Forest and Chapman-Goodale Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lancaster?
57,609 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lancaster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,196 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 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 Lancaster 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 →