Nahant Beach/Lynn Shore Reservations
Nature preserve
81 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Nahant
14% of Nahant’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. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Nahant, 2.8 per square mile of land. 14% of Nahant’s land is conserved, about 102 acres.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #76 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
102 acres · of 1.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
2.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
164 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
56 ft
Baileys Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Nahant?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Nahant have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Nahant is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #76 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Nahant’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (164 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−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 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 73%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Nahant’s 14% is ahead of 21% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% of them.
Water is more than half of Nahant’s area (15 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
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 Nahant Beach/Lynn Shore Reservations, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
East Point/Henry Cabot Lodge,Jr., Memorial Park
Park
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Lowlands Park
Park
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Nahant Heritage Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Nahant Beach/Lynn Shore Reservations81 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Point/Henry Cabot Lodge,Jr., Memorial Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBaileys Hill15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLowlands Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNahant Thicket Wildlife Sancuary4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Mass Audubon
DirectionsFlash Road Playground7 acres
DirectionsHenry Cabot Lodge Wildlife Sanctuary4 acres · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Marjoram Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
102 conserved acres
14% of Nahant’s land. Water is left out: Nahant has 1.1 square miles of land and 14.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Nahant’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city45 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
Not recorded52 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 44 acLocal Park · 39 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 6 acResearch or Educational Area · 5 acPrivate Conservation · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelley Greens Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 38 | Open |
| Lowlands Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Bailey Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Flash Road Playground Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Greenlawn Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
| Johnson Elementary School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Closed |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Bird Sanctuary (Egg Rock) State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
Things to do
32 places to go in Nahant
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Nahant
Black Rock Beach
DirectionsCanoe Beach
DirectionsCrystal Beach
DirectionsCurlew Brech
DirectionsDoggie Beach
DirectionsForty Steps Beach
DirectionsJosephs Beach
DirectionsNahant Beach
Directions4 more beaches
Plus 10 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Nahant
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Nahant
Pleasant Street Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Nahant
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Nahant
Baileys Hill56 ft elevation · In Baileys Hill
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
Nahant Heritage Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Tennis
5Baseball
3Basketball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Nahant: 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 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
August is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Nahant →
Next door
Nahant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nahant | 14% | 2.8 | 49 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Lynn | 14% | 4.0 | 2 | 99%+ | A |
| Revere | 16% | 1.2 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Winthrop Town | 18% | 3.2 | 9 | 99%+ | A |
| Boston | 18% | 1.9 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Nahant
Where can I hike in Nahant?
The longest trail networks: Nahant Beach/Lynn Shore Reservations, 0.6 miles; East Point/Henry Cabot Lodge,Jr., Memorial Park, 0.5 miles; Baileys Hill, 0.3 miles; Lowlands Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Nahant is conserved land?
14% 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 Nahant’s trails?
Nahant Beach/Lynn Shore Reservations and East Point/Henry Cabot Lodge,Jr., Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Nahant?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Nahant?
14,328 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nahant or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 164 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Nahant have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #76 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 Nahant 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 →