Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest
Managed by Department of Conservation and Recreation
328 acres4.3 mi of trail
(dead end)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lowell
15% of Lowell’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
19 miles of mapped trail cross Lowell, 1.4 per square mile of land. 15% of Lowell’s land is conserved, about 1,309 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest (4.3 mi), Lowell National Historical Park (1.6 mi), Shedd Park (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #249 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,309 acres · of 13.6 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
655 ac
5.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
2.6 mi lanes · 5.7 mi paths
Highest peak
276 ft
Fort Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lowell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lowell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lowell is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #249 of 283 in Massachusetts. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lowell’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land5.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (655 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13CParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 12%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lowell ranks #129 on Outdoors.
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Lowell’s 15% is ahead of 24% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% of them.
Water is 6% of Lowell’s area (1 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
Park acres per resident are where Lowell trails most U.S. towns: 5.5 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 119,971 people share 655 acres.
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 Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lowell National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
114 acres1.6 mi of trail
Northern Canal Walkway
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Riverfront Park
Park
9 acres0.5 mi of trail
Riverwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 52 parks & preserves
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest328 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsLowell National Historical Park114 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsShedd Park52 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Hill Park36 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Common9 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverfront Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSheehy Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLowell Heritage State Park24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMcPherson Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFrancis Gate Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Kittredge Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Boarding House Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHighland Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLucy Larcom Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMuldoon Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKerouac Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLeBlanc Park47 acres
DirectionsSouth Common20 acres
DirectionsMcDermott Reservoir Park17 acres
Gage Field14 acres
DirectionsPea Stone Field14 acres
Festival Field13 acres
Donahoe Park10 acres
DirectionsHovey Park9 acres
Kuomantzelis Park9 acres
Saint Louis Playground6 acres
Edwards Street Park6 acres
Callery Park6 acres
DirectionsAlumni Field5 acres
Hadley Park5 acres
Campbell Park5 acres
Manning Field4 acres
Father Maguire Playground4 acres
DirectionsTsongas4 acres
DirectionsO'Donnell Park3 acres
DirectionsClemente Park3 acres
DirectionsSweeney Park3 acres
DirectionsMulligan Park2 acres
Oliveria Park2 acres
Tyler Park2 acres
Father Kirwin Playground2 acres
DirectionsLawrence Mills Park1 acres
DirectionsDoane Street Park1 acres
Durkin Park1 acres
Armory Park1 acres
DirectionsScullen Park1 acres
DirectionsKnott Park1 acres
DirectionsRotary Club Park1 acres
DirectionsDucharme Park1 acres
Utopia Park1 acres · City of Lowell
DirectionsFels Playground1 acres
DirectionsLincoln Square Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,309 conserved acres
15% of Lowell’s land. Water is left out: Lowell has 13.6 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lowell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city281 ac
National Park Service189 ac
State parks22 ac
State conservation16 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits9 ac
Other state land5 ac
Not recorded817 ac
State Resource Management Area · 329 acLocal Park · 240 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 189 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 184 acLocal Other or Unknown · 77 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 21 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 110 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 319 | Open |
| Lowell National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 189 | Restricted |
| Lowell Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 84 | Open |
| Lowell Heritage State Park State Park | Not recorded | 60 | Open |
| St Patricks Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 59 | Restricted |
| Leblanc Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Shedd Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Mount Pleasant Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 48 | Restricted |
| Westlawn Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 48 | Open |
| Edson Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 46 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Lowell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lowell
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Lowell
1 public pool without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Lowell
Fayette Street Playground
DirectionsMoody Street Playground
DirectionsOlga Nieves Playground
DirectionsShedd Park PlaygroundIn Shedd Park
DirectionsThe Splash Pad at Shedd ParkIn Shedd Park
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lowell
First Street Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lowell
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Lowell
Wamesit Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Lowell
Wamesit Falls Overlook
DirectionsPeaks in Lowell
Fort Hill276 ft elevation · In Fort Hill Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Lowell
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 3.4 mi
Riverwalk1.3 mi
Bay Circuit Trail0.3 mi
Northern Canal Walkway0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
36Baseball
30Basketball
20Tennis
5Soccer
2Beach volleyball
2Lacrosse
2Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →39 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 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Lowell Locks and Canals Historic DistrictNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 1976
About itChelmsford Glass Works' Long HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itJonathan Bowers HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itHoly Trinity Greek Orthodox ChurchBuilding · listed 1977
About itLowell National Historical ParkDistrict · listed 1978
About itMerrimack-Middle Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itSouth Common Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itAllen HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWamesit Canal-Whipple Mill Industrial ComplexDistrict · listed 1982
About itWashington Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itWorcester HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itHoyt-Shedd EstateBuilding · listed 1984
About it27 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lowell: 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
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 Lowell →
Next door
Lowell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell | 15% | 1.4 | 6 | 99% | A |
| Chelmsford | 13% | 1.6 | 26 | 87% | A |
| Tewksbury | 15% | 1.9 | 51 | 93% | A+ |
| Tyngsborough | 15% | 1.6 | 64 | 91% | A+ |
| Dracut | 15% | 1.0 | 13 | 83% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lowell
Where can I hike in Lowell?
The longest trail networks: Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, 4.3 miles; Lowell National Historical Park, 1.6 miles; Shedd Park, 1.1 miles; Fort Hill Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lowell is conserved land?
15% 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 Lowell’s trails?
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest and Lowell National Historical Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lowell?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes, 5.7 of off-road paths and 1.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lowell?
34,789 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lowell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 995 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lowell have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #249 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 Lowell 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 →