Nasketucket Bay State Reservation
Nature preserve
367 acres3.5 mi of trail
Bridle TrailHolly TrailSaltmarsh TrailShaw Farm Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Third Meetinghouse · Photo: Schlitzer90 · CC0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mattapoisett
38% of Mattapoisett’s land is conserved: 4,202 acres
2,633 acres are parks and preserves, 397 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Mattapoisett, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #64 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
4,202 acres · of 17.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,633 ac
397 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.4 mi
2.4 mi paths
Highest peak
95 ft
Tinkham Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
53 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Mattapoisett?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mattapoisett have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mattapoisett is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #64 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mattapoisett’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land397 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,633 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 78%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Mattapoisett’s 38% is ahead of 87% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 22% of them.
Water is 28% of Mattapoisett’s area (7 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 27%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Haskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,367 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brownell Preserve
Nature preserve
49 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Martocci Preserve
Nature preserve
95 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Aucoot / Bowman Preserve
Nature preserve
59 acres0.6 mi of trail
Red Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dunn Preserve
Nature preserve
44 acres0.5 mi of trail
Red Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Preserve
Nature preserve
33 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Munn Preserve
Nature preserve
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 47 parks & preserves
Nasketucket Bay State Reservation367 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHaskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area1,367 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
Brownell Preserve49 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Martocci Preserve95 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Aucoot / Bowman Preserve59 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsDunn Preserve44 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Preserve33 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Munn Preserve19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGrace Preserve9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Jenney Farm21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Hiller Preserve54 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Coyne Forest16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWater Tower Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Old Aucoot District402 acres · Mattapoisett Land Trust
DirectionsBrandt Island Cove Wildlife Conservation Easement105 acres
Tinkhamtown Woodlands60 acres
Indian Cove Preserve37 acres
DirectionsTinkham Forest21 acres
Woodcock Preserve16 acres
Gary Hobler Woodlands14 acres
Elegancia Estates Preserve13 acres
Abraham Tinkham Preserve11 acres
Cairns Preserve9 acres
Decas Lot9 acres
Gregoire Preserve8 acres
Crowell Preserve8 acres
Ram Island Sanctuary6 acres
Murray Preserve6 acres
Santos Farm6 acres
DirectionsPine Island Pond Preserve6 acres
Sullivan Preserve5 acres
Old Railroad Bed5 acres
DirectionsFerreira Preserve5 acres
Dexter Mill4 acres
DirectionsMattapoisett Harbor Public Beach3 acres
DirectionsQuadequena Club Tennis Courts3 acres
Aucoot Woods2 acres · Sippican Lands Trust
Solomans Cellar2 acres
Flaherty Preserve2 acres
Shipyard Park1 acres
Cedars Property1 acres
Indian Cove Trust1 acres
Fairhaven Pumping Station1 acres
Herring Run Rte 61 acres
DirectionsMurphy Preserve1 acres
Eustis Preserve1 acres
Newman Preserve1 acres
Who protects it
4,202 conserved acres
38% of Mattapoisett’s land. Water is left out: Mattapoisett has 17.3 square miles of land and 6.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mattapoisett’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,412 ac
State fish & wildlife1,176 ac
Town or city702 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)294 ac
State conservation178 ac
State natural resources105 ac
Joint94 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,454 acState Conservation Area · 1,524 acState Resource Management Area · 1,099 acState Park · 363 acWatershed Protection Area · 314 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,417 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 256 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2,472 | Open |
| Nasketucket Bay State Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 364 | Open |
| Denormandie - Shaw Woods State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 150 | Open |
| Bay Club Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 130 | Restricted |
| Fairhaven Water Dept Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 77 | Closed |
| Reservation Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 77 | Restricted |
| Mattapoisett Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 76 | Restricted |
| Old Rochester Regional High School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 75 | Open |
| Water District Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 44 | Closed |
| Mattapoisett Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 40 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
55 places to go in Mattapoisett
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Mattapoisett
Brant Beach
DirectionsGrand Vue Beach
DirectionsHollywoods Beach
DirectionsMattapoisett Town Beach
DirectionsPico Beach
Directions53 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Mattapoisett
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Mattapoisett
Tinkham Hill95 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.2 mi
Red Trail1.2 mi
Bridle Trail1.0 mi
Shaw Farm Trail0.8 mi
Holly Trail0.7 mi
Saltmarsh Trail0.6 mi
Shoreline Trail0.4 mi
Meadow Trail0.3 mi
Winnatuxett Beach path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
21Tennis
4Basketball
3Baseball
1Soccer
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Mattapoisett: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 41 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Mattapoisett →
Next door
Mattapoisett and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Mattapoisett
Where can I hike in Mattapoisett?
The longest trail networks: Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, 3.5 miles; Haskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area, 2.8 miles; Brownell Preserve, 1.4 miles; Martocci Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mattapoisett is conserved land?
38% 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 Mattapoisett’s trails?
Nasketucket Bay State Reservation and Haskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mattapoisett?
2.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mattapoisett?
37,687 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mattapoisett or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,934 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mattapoisett have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 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 Mattapoisett 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 →