Colton Rd Conservation Area
Nature preserve
53 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Millbury
Millbury has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
13% of Millbury’s land is conserved, about 1,269 acres. 702 acres are parks and preserves, 50 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Colton Rd Conservation Area (4.5 mi), Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area (4 mi), Stowe Meadows (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #188 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,269 acres · of 15.7 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
702 ac
50 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
732 ft
Mount Ararat
Lakes & rivers
9
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Millbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Millbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Millbury is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #188 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Millbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land50 acres of park per 1,000 residents (702 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 34%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Millbury’s 13% is ahead of 15% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 38% of them.
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 Colton Rd Conservation Area, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
155 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Stowe Meadows
Nature preserve
107 acres1.6 mi of trail
yellow trailWhite TrailRed Trailwhite trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fay Grant Bird Sanctuary
Nature preserve
26 acres0.8 mi of trail
blue trailRed trailGreen trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Colton Rd Conservation Area53 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area155 acres · 4 mi of trail
DirectionsStowe Meadows107 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Fay Grant Bird Sanctuary26 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area45 acres
Soles Swamp15 acres
Windle Field6 acres
DirectionsWashington St Park5 acres
DirectionsE. Millbury Park3 acres
Who protects it
1,269 conserved acres
13% of Millbury’s land. Who manages Millbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land531 ac
Town or city395 ac
State fish & wildlife126 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Not recorded489 ac
Agricultural Easement · 529 acState Conservation Area · 248 acLocal Park · 208 acLocal Other or Unknown · 132 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 116 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 269 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 59 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 203 | Open |
| Elmwood Street & Shaw Schools Recreational Fields Local Park | Town or city | 139 | Restricted |
| Clearview Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 116 | Restricted |
| Colton Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 55 | Restricted |
| Aquarion Water Company Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Boria Family Farm Private Conservation | Not recorded | 45 | Open |
| Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 44 | Open |
| Central Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 37 | Restricted |
| Soles Swamp Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Brierly Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 34 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Millbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Millbury
Greenwood St Playground
DirectionsJames Direnzo Playground
DirectionsW Millbury Playground
DirectionsWoolie World PlaygroundIn Washington St Park
DirectionsDog parks in Millbury
Butler Farm Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Millbury
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Millbury
Mount Ararat732 ft elevation
DirectionsPark Hill623 ft elevation
DirectionsDorothy Hill558 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill489 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Millbury
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.7 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 10.9 mi
Trail1.0 mi
Old Common Road Trail0.7 mi
yellow trail0.5 mi
blue trail0.5 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Chestnut trail0.4 mi
White Trail0.3 mi
Red Maple Trail0.3 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Red trail0.2 mi
3 more trails
Green trail
0.1 miwhite trail
0.1 mitrail
0.1 miBiking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Baseball
6Basketball
4Tracks
4Pickleball
3Tennis
2Soccer
1Football
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 Millbury: 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) | 35 | 38 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Millbury →
Next door
Millbury and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Millbury
Where can I hike in Millbury?
The longest trail networks: Colton Rd Conservation Area, 4.5 miles; Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area, 4 miles; Stowe Meadows, 1.6 miles; Fay Grant Bird Sanctuary, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Millbury 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 Millbury’s trails?
Colton Rd Conservation Area and Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Millbury?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Millbury?
37,462 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Millbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 702 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Millbury have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #188 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 Millbury 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 →