Steer Swamp Conservation Area
Nature preserve
47 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Oceanhistory · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Marblehead
11% of Marblehead’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. 8.5 miles of mapped trail cross Marblehead, 1.9 per square mile of land. 11% of Marblehead’s land is conserved, about 296 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #203 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
296 acres · of 4.4 sq mi of land
Trails
8.5 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
212 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
3.3 mi paths
Highest peak
89 ft
Coddon Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
44 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Marblehead?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marblehead have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marblehead is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #203 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 Marblehead’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (212 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B−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 92%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 28%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Marblehead’s 11% is ahead of 10% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
Water is more than half of Marblehead’s area (15 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
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 Steer Swamp Conservation Area, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
18 acres0.8 mi of trail
Warbler TrailAudubon TrailVireo LoopBoardwalk Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Forest River Conservation Area
Managed by City of Salem Conservation Commission
27 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Robinson Farm Conservation Area
Nature preserve
11 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wyman Woods
Nature preserve
34 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hawthorn Pond Conservation Area
Nature preserve
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Steer Swamp Conservation Area47 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMarblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary18 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsForest River Conservation Area27 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Salem Conservation Commission
Seaside Park15 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRobinson Farm Conservation Area11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Wyman Woods34 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHawthorn Pond Conservation Area11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGerry Playground7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCrowninshield Island9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Crocker Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWare Pond Conservation Area10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Marblehead Conservancy
Reynolds Playground6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Orne Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Sewall3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGerry Island2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGatchell Playgound9 acres
DirectionsGreen Street Woods5 acres
DirectionsChandler-Hovey Park5 acres
DirectionsLead Mills Conservation Area2 acres
Turner Woods1 acres
Castle Rock Park1 acres
Fountain Park1 acres
Who protects it
296 conserved acres
11% of Marblehead’s land. Water is left out: Marblehead has 4.4 square miles of land and 15.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Marblehead’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city97 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits26 ac
Not recorded169 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 127 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 45 acPrivate Conservation · 41 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 30 acLocal Conservation Area · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steer Swamp Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Waterside Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 40 | Open |
| Tedesco Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Restricted |
| Forest River Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 30 | Restricted |
| Marblehead Rail Trail Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Open |
| Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Closed |
| Goldthwait Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 12 | Restricted |
| Wyman Woods Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Hawthorn Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Open |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
63 places to go in Marblehead
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Marblehead
Devereaux Beach
DirectionsFort Beach
DirectionsGarmet Beach
DirectionsGas House Basin
DirectionsGas House Beach
DirectionsGrace Oliver Beach
DirectionsGreystone Beach
DirectionsRiverhead Beach
Directions1 more beach
Stramski's Beach
Directions44 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Marblehead
Gerry PlaygroundIn Gerry Playground
DirectionsHobbs Playground
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Marblehead
Marblehead Dog ParkIn Reynolds Playground
DirectionsBoat launches in Marblehead
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Marblehead
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Marblehead
Coddon Hill89 ft elevation
DirectionsBurial Hill36 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Marblehead
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.6 mi
Warbler Trail0.3 mi
Audubon Trail0.2 mi
Sevinor Trail0.1 mi
Vireo Loop0.1 mi
Boardwalk Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Tennis
10Baseball
6Soccer
4Basketball
4Pickleball
2Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
St. Michael's ChurchBuilding · listed 1973
About itAbbot HallBuilding · listed 1974
About itFort SewallSite · listed 1975
About itRobert "King" Hooper MansionBuilding · listed 1976
About itOld Town HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itMarblehead Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itStory Grammar SchoolBuilding · listed 1986
About itMarblehead LightStructure · listed 1987
About itHarris FarmBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Marblehead: 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 | 38 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 51 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Marblehead →
Next door
Marblehead and its neighbors
Marblehead has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marblehead | 11% | 1.9 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Salem | 26% | 3.2 | 19 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Swampscott | 18% | 1.6 | 9 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marblehead
Where can I hike in Marblehead?
The longest trail networks: Steer Swamp Conservation Area, 1.6 miles; Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.8 miles; Forest River Conservation Area, 0.7 miles; Seaside Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marblehead is conserved land?
11% 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 Marblehead’s trails?
Steer Swamp Conservation Area and Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marblehead?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marblehead?
19,634 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marblehead or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 212 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Marblehead have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #203 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 Marblehead 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 →