Horse Pond
Nature preserve
87 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Richard B. Johnson · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Brookfield
North Brookfield has 968 acres of parks, 203 for every 1,000 residents
16% of North Brookfield’s land is conserved, about 2,238 acres. The biggest trail networks: Horse Pond (0.8 mi). 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #267 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
2,238 acres · of 21.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
968 ac
203 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,102 ft
Bell Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is North Brookfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Brookfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Brookfield is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #267 of 283 in Massachusetts. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Brookfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land203 acres of park per 1,000 residents (968 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home77% 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 82%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 6%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so North Brookfield’s 16% is ahead of 28% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 1% 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 Horse Pond, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Five Mile River Access
Nature preserve
217 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Doane Pond
Nature preserve
93 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Town Forest
Nature preserve
60 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Horse Pond87 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Doane Pond93 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Town Forest60 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFive Mile River Access217 acres
Richardson Wildlife Management Area50 acres
Bell Hill27 acres
Brooks Pond8 acres
Crooks Cross Road6 acres
North Brookfield Common5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,238 conserved acres
16% of North Brookfield’s land. Who manages North Brookfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,191 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits293 ac
Town or city189 ac
State natural resources17 ac
State fish & wildlife17 ac
Not recorded849 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,191 acState Other or Unknown · 394 acWatershed Protection Area · 210 acState Resource Management Area · 209 acState Conservation Area · 141 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,146 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 72 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Mile River Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 192 | Open |
| Horse Pond Flood Control Site State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 176 | Open |
| File Mile River (Yankauer) State Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 170 | Open |
| North Brookfield Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 101 | Open |
| Doane Pond Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 93 | Open |
| Sucker Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 92 | Open |
| North Brookfield Sportsmans Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 90 | Restricted |
| Horse Pond Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 90 | Closed |
| North Brookfield Junior and Senior High School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 50 | Open |
| Richardson Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 49 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in North Brookfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Brookfield
Lashaway Park Town Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in North Brookfield
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in North Brookfield
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in North Brookfield
Bell Hill1,102 ft elevation · In Bell Hill
DirectionsTarbell Hill1,056 ft elevation
DirectionsDoanes Hill1,020 ft elevation
DirectionsTower Hill1,004 ft elevation
DirectionsHales Hill981 ft elevation
DirectionsNewell Hill958 ft elevation
DirectionsHog Hill948 ft elevation
DirectionsBonnie View Hill932 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Walnut Hill919 ft elevation
DirectionsZalatores Hill915 ft elevation
DirectionsBatcheller Hill899 ft elevation
DirectionsFullam Hill899 ft elevation
DirectionsBonds Hill889 ft elevation
DirectionsBuck Hill860 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miHorses · 3.0 miUnpaved · 3.0 mi
North Brookfield Rail Trail2.9 mi
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
4Tennis
4Basketball
2Soccer
2Baseball
1Softball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in North Brookfield: 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) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in North Brookfield →
Next door
North Brookfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Brookfield | 16% | 0.2 | 203 | 77% | A− |
| Brookfield | 35% | 0.8 | 778 | 83% | A+ |
| East Brookfield | 26% | 0.7 | 610 | 84% | A |
| West Brookfield | 24% | 0.4 | 500 | 66% | A |
| New Braintree | 18% | 0.1 | 1,065 | 64% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Brookfield
Where can I hike in North Brookfield?
The longest trail networks: Horse Pond, 0.8 miles; Doane Pond, 0.2 miles; Town Forest, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Brookfield is conserved land?
16% 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 North Brookfield’s trails?
Horse Pond and Five Mile River Access don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near North Brookfield?
33,595 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Brookfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,025 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Brookfield have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #267 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 North Brookfield 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 →