Jerry Nichols Tavern · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0North Reading has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
786 acres are parks and preserves, 50 per 1,000 residents. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11% of North Reading’s land is conserved, about 895 acres.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #167 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is North Reading?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does North Reading have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Reading is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #167 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so North Reading’s 11% is ahead of 10% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Swan Pond, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harold Parker State Forest
Ives Memorial Forest
Middleton Pond
Town of Danvers Conservation Land
Eisenhaures Pond Park
Ipswich River Park
Strawberry Acres Conservation Area
All 31 parks & preserves
895 conserved acres
11% of North Reading’s land. Who manages North Reading’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 47 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harold Parker State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 213 | Open |
| Swan Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 163 | Open |
| Hillview Country Club Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 136 | Restricted |
| Cedar Swamp Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 63 | Open |
| Ipswich River Park Local Park | Not recorded | 50 | Open |
| Eisenhaures Pond Park Local Park | Not recorded | 36 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Martins Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Riverside Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| Joseph E Holt Farm Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in North Reading
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
10 picnic areas without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in North Reading: 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) | 36 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in North Reading →
North Reading 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 Reading | 11% | 1.9 | 50 | 94% | A+ |
| Reading | 17% | 1.8 | 53 | 96% | A+ |
| Lynnfield | 28% | 1.9 | 41 | 96% | A+ |
| Middleton | 21% | 3.0 | 178 | 99% | A+ |
| Wilmington | 12% | 1.0 | 29 | 91% | A |
| Andover | 17% | 4.4 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Andover | 21% | 3.7 | 73 | 96% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Reading
Where can I hike in North Reading?
The longest trail networks: Swan Pond, 6.3 miles; Harold Parker State Forest, 5 miles; Ives Memorial Forest, 0.8 miles; Middleton Pond, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Reading is conserved land?
11% 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 Reading’s trails?
Swan Pond and Harold Parker State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near North Reading?
43,278 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Reading or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 987 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Reading have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #167 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 Reading neighbors.
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 →