Middlesex Fells Reservation
Nature preserve
60 acres1.9 mi of trail
Rock Circuit TrailCross Fells TrailRock Circuit ConnectorPinnacle Path+1
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Malden
13% of Malden’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 6.7 miles of mapped trail cross Malden, 1.3 per square mile of land. 13% of Malden’s land is conserved, about 409 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #258 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
409 acres · of 5.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.7 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
197 ac
3.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
4.7 mi lanes · 4.0 mi paths
Highest peak
272 ft
Boojum Rock
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Malden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Malden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Malden is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #258 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 Malden’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land3.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (197 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 9%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Malden’s 13% is ahead of 16% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 27% of them.
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 Middlesex Fells Reservation, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pine Banks Park
Park
55 acres0.5 mi of trail
Burgess Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
High Rock Memorial Park
Park
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Blue Blaze
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Waitt's Mount Park
Managed by Department of Recreation, City of Malden
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bell Rock Memorial Park
Managed by City of Malden
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 23 parks & preserves
Middlesex Fells Reservation60 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Pine Banks Park55 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHigh Rock Memorial Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWaitt's Mount Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Department of Recreation, City of Malden
DirectionsBell Rock Memorial Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Malden
Trafton Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDevir Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Fellsmere Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hunting Field4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Malden
Coytemore Lea Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKierstead Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard C. Howard Park5 acres
DirectionsLincoln Commons4 acres · Malden Recreation Department
Amerige Field3 acres
Maplewood Park3 acres
DirectionsMacDonald Stadium3 acres
DirectionsTarticoff Park2 acres
DirectionsMiller Park2 acres
Callahan Park2 acres
DirectionsLouis Newman Park1 acres
DirectionsWallace Park1 acres
MacArthur Park1 acres
Patchell Playground1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
409 conserved acres
13% of Malden’s land. Who manages Malden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city88 ac
State parks11 ac
Other state land8 ac
Not recorded304 ac
Private Historic or Cultural · 137 acLocal Park · 111 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 62 acState Park · 56 acLocal Other or Unknown · 15 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 41 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 134 | Open |
| Middlesex Fells Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 60 | Open |
| Forestdale Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Pine Banks Park Local Park | Not recorded | 29 | Open |
| Fellsmere Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Waitts Mountain Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Town Line Brook Watershed Protection Area | State parks | 9 | Closed |
| John M Devir Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| High Rock Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
| MacDonald Stadium Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
51 places to go in Malden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Malden
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Malden
Trafton Dog ParkIn Trafton Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Malden
Ziggy's RockIn Middlesex Fells Reservation
DirectionsPlus 8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Malden
Boojum Rock272 ft elevation · In Middlesex Fells Reservation
DirectionsPinnacle Rock249 ft elevation · In Middlesex Fells Reservation
DirectionsWaitt's Mount213 ft elevation · In Waitt's Mount Park
DirectionsHigh Rock171 ft elevation · In High Rock Memorial Park
DirectionsBelmont Hill72 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Malden
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Malden
Malden Youth Community GardenHours: Open 24 hours · Malden High School Gardening Club
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.5 miUnpaved · 2.8 mi
Burgess Trail0.3 mi
Rock Circuit Trail0.3 mi
Cross Fells Trail0.2 mi
Blue Blaze0.2 mi
Rock Circuit Connector0.1 mi
Pinnacle Path0.1 mi
Rock Circuit Trail (Pinnacle Rock Extension)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.0 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Tennis
17Baseball
12Basketball
4Pickleball
4Soccer
2Football
2Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 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 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Common Burying Ground at Sandy BankSite · listed 1981
About itWaitt Brick BlockBuilding · listed 1982
About itDaniels, Charles A., SchoolBuilding · listed 1987
About itOdd Fellows BuildingBuilding · listed 1988
About itWilbur Fiske Haven HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itMarcia Browne Junior High SchoolBuilding · listed 2000
About itBell Rock Memorial ParkSite · listed 2001
About itSt. Paul's Parish ChurchBuilding · listed 2001
About itFellsmere Park Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2003
About itMalden City InfirmaryBuilding · listed 2020
About itBrowne-Masonic BuildingBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Malden: 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) | 37 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Malden →
Next door
Malden and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Malden
Where can I hike in Malden?
The longest trail networks: Middlesex Fells Reservation, 1.9 miles; Pine Banks Park, 0.5 miles; High Rock Memorial Park, 0.4 miles; Waitt's Mount Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Malden is conserved land?
13% 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 Malden’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Middlesex Fells Reservation (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Malden?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of painted or protected lanes, 4.0 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Malden?
25,053 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Malden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 207 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Malden have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #258 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 Malden 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 →