Peaked Mountain Tract
Managed by The Trustees of Reservations
310 acres4.4 mi of trail
Roslyn's TurnpikeValley View TrailOrchard TrailSkid Row+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto Peaked Mountain parkingWebsite ↗
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Monson
Monson has 2,815 acres of parks, 346 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Monson’s land is conserved, about 5,133 acres. The biggest trail networks: Peaked Mountain Tract (4.4 mi), Miller Forest Tract (2.1 mi), Flynt Park (2 mi). 20 miles of mapped trail cross Monson, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #248 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
5,133 acres · of 44.2 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,815 ac
346 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,155 ft
Tupper Hill
Lakes & rivers
17
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Monson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Monson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monson is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #248 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Monson’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land346 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,815 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home62% 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 86%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 12%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Monson’s 18% is ahead of 37% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% 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 Peaked Mountain Tract, with 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Miller Forest Tract
Nature preserve
121 acres2.1 mi of trail
Miller Forest LoopLinden Pond LoopRidge TrailPipeline Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
1,427 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Temple Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
88 acres0.7 mi of trail
Temple Brook TrailPipeline Trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Brimfield State Forest
Nature preserve
199 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dean Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Peaked Mountain Tract310 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · The Trustees of Reservations
DirectionsMiller Forest Tract121 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFlynt Park146 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorcross Wildlife Sanctuary1,427 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
Temple Brook Conservation Area88 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Brimfield State Forest199 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMyra Moulton Museum35 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cedar Swamp56 acres
Allard Property40 acres
Mitchell Property19 acres
Shenipsit State Forest1 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Who protects it
5,133 conserved acres
18% of Monson’s land. Who manages Monson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,248 ac
Town or city827 ac
Other state land775 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)47 ac
Joint47 ac
Not recorded3,407 ac
Private Conservation · 1,852 acConservation Easement · 1,376 acAgricultural Easement · 869 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 499 acLocal Other or Unknown · 440 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,434 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 97 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,789 | Open |
| Monson State Hospital Land State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 406 | Open |
| Brimfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 323 | Open |
| Springfield Sportsmans Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 292 | Restricted |
| Quaboag Valley Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 205 | Restricted |
| Flynt Quarry Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 161 | Open |
| Flynt Park Local Park | Town or city | 126 | Open |
| Cedar Swamp Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 88 | Open |
| Skorupski Woodlands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Reimers Road Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 58 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Monson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Monson
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Monson
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Monson
View EastIn Peaked Mountain Tract
DirectionsView WestIn Peaked Mountain Tract
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Monson
Tupper Hill1,155 ft elevation · In Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
DirectionsPeck Hill1,102 ft elevation
DirectionsMoon Mountain1,083 ft elevation
DirectionsMoulton Hill1,040 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Peak968 ft elevation
DirectionsWood Hill948 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Moon Mountain938 ft elevation
DirectionsPinnacle Peak906 ft elevation
Directions7 more peaks
Flynt Mountain892 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Hill876 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill843 ft elevation · In Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
DirectionsEast Hill797 ft elevation
DirectionsBunyan Mountain761 ft elevation
DirectionsChicopee Mountain692 ft elevation
DirectionsPeaked MountainIn Peaked Mountain Tract
DirectionsDisc golf in Monson
Mountainside Disc Golf CourseHours: sunrise-sunset · In Flynt Park · Monson, MA
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 7.8 mi
Blue Trail2.3 mi
Yellow Trail1.2 mi
Miller Forest Loop0.6 mi
Linden Pond Loop0.6 mi
White Trail0.6 mi
Roslyn's Turnpike0.5 mi
Yellow Trail Connector & Blue Trail Overlook0.5 mi
Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Temple Brook Trail0.4 mi
Historic Quarry Railway0.4 mi
12 more trails
Valley View Trail
0.4 miDean Pond Trail
0.3 miOrchard Trail
0.3 miSkid Row
0.3 miAnnette's Nature Pathway
0.3 miWest Rock Trail
0.2 miPipeline Trail
0.2 miThe Ice Chute
0.1 miSummit Trail
0.1 miDry Toes Bypass
0.1 miBlue & Yellow Trail
0.1 miFlynt Quarry Spur
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Baldwin PondreservoirBoulder Hill PondreservoirBradley PondpondCalkins PondreservoirChicopee Brook ReservoirreservoirConant Brook ReservoirDuck PondpondFire PondFreitag PondreservoirLunden PondParadise LakereservoirPulpit Rock PondreservoirSmith PondpondSquire PondpondChicopee BrookMonson ReservoirQuaboag River
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Baseball
3Soccer
2Tennis
1Skate park
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Monson: 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 | 37 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Monson →
Next door
Monson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monson | 18% | 0.5 | 346 | 62% | A |
| Palmer Town | 17% | 0.4 | 187 | 71% | A |
| Brimfield | 14% | 0.8 | 299 | 46% | A− |
| Wales | 47% | 1.3 | 1,788 | 98% | A+ |
| Hampden | 13% | 1.1 | 167 | 54% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monson
Where can I hike in Monson?
The longest trail networks: Peaked Mountain Tract, 4.4 miles; Miller Forest Tract, 2.1 miles; Flynt Park, 2 miles; Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monson is conserved land?
18% 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 Monson’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Peaked Mountain Tract, Miller Forest Tract, Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary and Temple Brook Conservation Area. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Monson?
38,874 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,056 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Monson have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #248 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 Monson 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 →