Burncoat Pond Conservation Area
Nature preserve
114 acres1.7 mi of trail
Laurel Loop (blue)White Pine PassMid State Connector (overgrown)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Pvmoutside at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Leicester
18% of Leicester’s land is conserved: 2,646 acres
812 acres are parks and preserves, 73 per 1,000 residents. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Leicester, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Burncoat Pond Conservation Area (1.7 mi), Moose Hill Flood Control Site (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #264 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,646 acres · of 23.3 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
812 ac
73 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi lanes
Highest peak
1,178 ft
Elliott Hill
Lakes & rivers
19
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Leicester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leicester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leicester is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #264 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 Leicester’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land73 acres of park per 1,000 residents (812 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home41% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 7%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Leicester’s 18% is ahead of 35% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 16% of them.
Water is 6% of Leicester’s area (1 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Burncoat Pond Conservation Area, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Moose Hill Flood Control Site
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
101 acres0.5 mi of trail
Midstate Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
105 acres0.2 mi of trail
Midstate Trail/Corridor 71
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
17 acres0.1 mi of trail
Midstate Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Burncoat Pond Conservation Area114 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMoose Hill Flood Control Site101 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMoose Hill Wildlife Management Area105 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
J.E. Russell Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTowtaid Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Common2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKettle Brook Parcel1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Rochdale Park9 acres
DirectionsCommunity Field5 acres
Little League Field3 acres
Dawn Acres Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,646 conserved acres
18% of Leicester’s land. Water is left out: Leicester has 23.3 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Leicester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city993 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits28 ac
Private owners7 ac
Joint3 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Not recorded2,389 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 2,279 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 336 acConservation Easement · 176 acLocal Park · 141 acState Conservation Area · 120 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 88 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 53 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 1,041 | Closed |
| Kettle Brook Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 517 | Closed |
| Hillcrest Country Club Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 305 | Unknown |
| Mt. Pleasant Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 204 | Restricted |
| Cherry Valley and Rochdale Water District Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 188 | Closed |
| Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 122 | Closed |
| Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 120 | Open |
| Burncoat Park/Town Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Camp Laurelwood Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 97 | Restricted |
| Shaw Pond Reservoir Area Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 93 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Leicester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Leicester
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Leicester
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Leicester
Leicester Bark Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Leicester
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Leicester
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Leicester
Elliott Hill1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsCarey Hill1,073 ft elevation
DirectionsMaple Hill1,063 ft elevation
DirectionsLeicester Hill1,014 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pleasant1,014 ft elevation
DirectionsBallard Hill981 ft elevation
DirectionsDenny Hill942 ft elevation
DirectionsRocky Hill935 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Dorothy Hill709 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Leicester
Maple Hill Disc GolfFee
DirectionsPyramids Disc GolfHours: Mon–Sun 8 am – 6 pm · Fee
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.2 mi
Secondary 563.6 mi
Midstate Trail1.2 mi
Laurel Loop (blue)0.7 mi
RT 9 Connector Trail0.7 mi
Corridor 710.4 mi
Secondary 56/Kettle Brook Path0.2 mi
Midstate Trail/Corridor 710.2 mi
White Pine Pass0.2 mi
Flooded Trail0.1 mi
Mid State Connector (overgrown)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bouchard PondpondBurncoat PondreservoirCedar Meadow PondreservoirCity PondreservoirClarks Mill PondreservoirDutton PondreservoirGreenville PondreservoirHenshaw PondreservoirKettle Brook Reservoir Number OnereservoirKettle Brook Reservoir Number TworeservoirLynde Brook ReservoirreservoirRochdale PondreservoirSargent PondreservoirShaw PondpondSmiths PondSouthwick PondreservoirWaite PondFrench RiverKettle Brook
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Tennis
3Basketball
2Football
1Softball
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 Leicester: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
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 Leicester →
Next door
Leicester and its neighbors
Leicester has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Leicester
Where can I hike in Leicester?
The longest trail networks: Burncoat Pond Conservation Area, 1.7 miles; Moose Hill Flood Control Site, 0.5 miles; Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area, 0.2 miles; Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leicester is conserved land?
18% 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 Leicester’s trails?
Burncoat Pond Conservation Area and Moose Hill Flood Control Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Leicester?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Leicester?
31,945 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leicester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 817 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Leicester have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #264 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 Leicester 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 →