Old Town Hill Reservation
Nature preserve
545 acres6.3 mi of trail
Little's TrailRidge TrailAdams Pasture TrailRiver Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parking Lot 1
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Newbury
More than half of Newbury’s land is conserved: 51%
51% of Newbury’s land is conserved, about 7,696 acres. 4,667 acres are parks and preserves, 689 per 1,000 residents. 49 miles of mapped trail cross Newbury, 2.1 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #17 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
51%
7,696 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
49 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,667 ac
689 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.4 mi lanes · 0.2 mi paths
Highest peak
151 ft
Old Town Hill
Lakes & rivers
37
7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Newbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild51% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam689 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 94% of U.S. towns.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newbury is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #17 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Newbury near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land51% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (49 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land689 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,667 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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 94%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Newbury’s 51% is ahead of 98% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
Water is 11% of Newbury’s area (3 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 46%.
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 Old Town Hill Reservation, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,552 acres5.6 mi of trail
Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
William Forward Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,294 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parker River Canoe Launch Parking
Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Department of Fish And Game
317 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
2,222 acres1.2 mi of trail
Beach Buggy Access 1Lot 3 BoardwalkLot 2 BoardwalkDune Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Caldwell Farm Open Space
Nature preserve
92 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Old Town Hill Reservation (Barton Humphrey's Lots)
Nature preserve
54 acres0.8 mi of trail
Barton-Humphreys TrailBH3
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wet Meadows
Managed by City of Newburyport
47 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 54 parks & preserves
Old Town Hill Reservation545 acres · 6.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMartin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area1,552 acres · 5.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam Forward Wildlife Management Area1,294 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCrane Pond Wildlife Management Area317 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Department of Fish And Game
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge2,222 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCaldwell Farm Open Space92 acres · 1 mi of trail
Old Town Hill Reservation (Barton Humphrey's Lots)54 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Wet Meadows47 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Newburyport
DirectionsJennie Lagoulis Reservation28 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsHans Morris Reservation27 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsDonald Woodland39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Great Meadow97 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Newbury
DirectionsCentral Street Recreation & Natural Resource Area62 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Newbury
DirectionsGraf Reservation304 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBarton/Humphreys (Greenbelt)23 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
Ingram's Saltmarsh11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Common Pasture10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNewman Farm Meadow4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsClipper City Rail Trail2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Shore Salt Marsh43 acres
Scotland Woods39 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Triton Regional Schools Land33 acres
Knight's Common33 acres
Williams Salt Marsh29 acres
Amelia Little Saltmarsh28 acres
Hoopes Saltmarsh25 acres
Hayden Saltmarsh24 acres
DirectionsHiller19 acres · Essex County Greenbelt Association
Wilson Saltmarsh17 acres
DirectionsNewbury Perennial Gardens15 acres
DirectionsAvery Pine Island15 acres
Stilt Pond Reservation14 acres
Seagate Open Space13 acres
Wilson Woodland10 acres
Hackers Island Reservation10 acres
Town Forest9 acres
DirectionsColby Village Open Space8 acres
DirectionsJ. Lee Potter Memorial Reservation8 acres
Johnson Oak Island7 acres
Pearson Marsh6 acres
Kent Way Land6 acres
Joseph Moody Meadow5 acres
Lower Green4 acres
DirectionsLittle River Marsh3 acres
Plumbush Saltmarsh3 acres
DirectionsWayside Avenue3 acres
Avery Pine Island Parcel B2 acres
Johnson Woodlot2 acres
Island North of Bridge2 acres
Hyde2 acres
Gray Adams Reservation1 acres
Middle Road1 acres
DirectionsJ. Lee Potter Meadow1 acres
Little River frontage1 acres
Who protects it
7,696 conserved acres
51% of Newbury’s land. Water is left out: Newbury has 23.4 square miles of land and 2.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Newbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service4,458 ac
State natural resources824 ac
Other state land637 ac
Town or city515 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits361 ac
State fish & wildlife205 ac
Not recorded3,816 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 4,458 acState Conservation Area · 3,612 acConservation Easement · 1,764 acAgricultural Easement · 403 acPrivate Conservation · 188 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,393 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 214 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker River National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 4,458 | Restricted |
| Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,553 | Open |
| William Forward Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,327 | Open |
| Old Town Hill Reservation State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 307 | Open |
| Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 168 | Open |
| Triton High School State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 96 | Open |
| Great Meadow Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 96 | Open |
| Merrimack River Beagle Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 63 | Restricted |
| Great Marsh North Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Knights Common Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 33 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Newbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newbury
Pearson Drive Playground
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Newbury
First Settlers' Landing
DirectionsNewbury Landing
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Newbury
Newbury Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Newbury
Wet Meadows Viewing PlatformIn Wet Meadows
DirectionsWildlife Viewing PlatformIn Old Town Hill Reservation
DirectionsPlus 8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Newbury
Old Town Hill151 ft elevation · In Old Town Hill Reservation
DirectionsLIttle Old Town Hill112 ft elevation
DirectionsEagle Hill69 ft elevation · In William Forward Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsAdams Place HillIn Old Town Hill Reservation
DirectionsBlue Hill
DirectionsCedar Hill
DirectionsLongfellow Hill
DirectionsSkunk Hill
Directions2 more peaks
Sunset Hill
DirectionsWolf's Den HillIn Old Town Hill Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 37 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.7 miHorses · 4.5 miUnpaved · 25.3 mi
Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area Trail3.4 mi
Little's Trail0.7 mi
Ridge Trail0.6 mi
Barton-Humphreys Trail0.5 mi
Adams Pasture Trail0.5 mi
River Trail0.4 mi
Garden Tour0.4 mi
Eliza Little Trail0.4 mi
The Gut Trail0.3 mi
North Ridge Trail0.3 mi
13 more trails
Georgetown-Byfield Rail Trail
0.3 miNorth Loop Trail
0.3 miThe Boardwalk Trail
0.3 miBeach Buggy Access 1
0.2 miLot 3 Boardwalk
0.2 miPerkins Trail
0.2 miSwitchback Trail
0.1 miHay Street Marsh Trail
0.1 miParking Access Trail
0.1 miLot 2 Boardwalk
0.1 miBH3
0.1 miDune Trail
0.1 miAdams Pasture Extension
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Beatrice SpringspondBowman's PondpondDan Lunt's Ice PondpondFormer Parker River ReservoirreservoirGladding's SpringHale's CoveJohnson's PondpondMarston's PondpondMeeting House PondpondMoody's PondpondNHESP Certified Vernal Pool 1629pondNHESP Certified Vernal Pool 6542pondNHESP Certified Vernal Pool 7369pondNHESP Certified Vernal Pool 7370pondNHESP Certified Vernal Pool 7371pondNorth PoolParson's PondpondPenny Ornery SpringpondPond 1pondPond 2pondQuills PondpondSalt PannesSouth PoolpondStilt PondpondTeddy J. Hwang PondpondUpper Green PondpondEastern CreekHigh Sandy ReachLittle RiverMill RiverNew HoleOld HoleParker RiverPlum Bush CreekPlum Island RiverThe GutThe Thorofare
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Georgetown-Byfield Rail TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
20Tennis
16Tracks
11Baseball
5Soccer
4Lacrosse
4Football
3Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 15 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Newbury Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itHale-Boynton HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itNewburyport Harbor Front Range LightStructure · listed 1987
About itNewburyport Harbor Rear Range LightStructure · listed 1987
About itAbraham Adams HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itJames Noyes HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Newbury: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Newbury →
Next door
Newbury and its neighbors
Newbury has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newbury | 51% | 2.1 | 689 | 98% | A+ |
| Rowley | 36% | 1.6 | 362 | 94% | A+ |
| West Newbury | 28% | 1.9 | 329 | 93% | A+ |
| Newburyport | 21% | 4.7 | 51 | 98% | A+ |
| Georgetown | 26% | 3.4 | 230 | 95% | A+ |
| Groveland | 17% | 2.7 | 273 | 92% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newbury
Where can I hike in Newbury?
The longest trail networks: Old Town Hill Reservation, 6.3 miles; Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area, 5.6 miles; William Forward Wildlife Management Area, 4.5 miles; Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newbury is conserved land?
51% 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 Newbury’s trails?
Old Town Hill Reservation and Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newbury?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes and 0.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Georgetown-Byfield Rail Trail.
Is there public land near Newbury?
40,712 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,867 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newbury have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 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 Newbury 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 →