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Northbridge town hallPhoto: Pvmoutside at English Wikipedia · Public domain
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Northbridge

Northbridge has 46 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land

17% of Northbridge’s land is conserved, about 1,895 acres. 1,593 acres are parks and preserves, 97 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park (9.7 mi), West Hill Wildlife Management Area (6.3 mi), West Hill Park (2.6 mi).

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #164 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Conserved land
17%
1,895 acres · of 17.3 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,593 ac
97 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
466 ft
Shining Rock
Lakes & rivers
11
3 beaches

What kind of outdoors town is Northbridge?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

A trail town2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 96% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild17% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Room to roam97 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Northbridge have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northbridge is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #164 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Northbridge’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land97 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,593 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home76% 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 95%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 42%

Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Northbridge’s 17% is ahead of 32% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% of them.

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.

123456
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 Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, with 9.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park

Park
599 acres9.7 mi of trail
Wind UpGreenway TrailPlummer's TrailKing Phillip's Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

West Hill Wildlife Management Area

Nature preserve
203 acres6.3 mi of trail
OscarRomeoLimaHotel+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

West Hill Park

Park
67 acres2.6 mi of trail
QuebecGolfSelf-guided Nature TrailOscar+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

E. Kent Swift Wildlife Management Area

Nature preserve
169 acres1.4 mi of trail
IndiaMikeJuliet
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Upton State Forest

Nature preserve
147 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Castle Hill Farm Conservation Land

Nature preserve
89 acres1.3 mi of trail
Huckleberry TrailYellowthroat TrailVernal Pool PathUpper Meadow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park599 acres · 9.7 mi of trail
Directions
West Hill Wildlife Management Area203 acres · 6.3 mi of trail
West Hill Park67 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
E. Kent Swift Wildlife Management Area169 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Upton State Forest147 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Castle Hill Farm Conservation Land89 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Fletcher Street Conservation Land33 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Northbridge Town Common1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Northbridge
Directions
Whitin Park Playground6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Arcade Pond27 acres
Directions
Mason Property18 acres
Riley Pond Conservation Area16 acres
Lasell Field10 acres · Northbridge Public Schools
Directions
Bernetts Pasture6 acres
Rockdale Playground6 acres
Plummer Playground1 acres
Electric Pond1 acres
Rockdale Park1 acres
Who protects it

1,895 conserved acres

17% of Northbridge’s land. Who manages Northbridge’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Other state land245 ac
State natural resources207 ac
Town or city119 ac
Not recorded1,446 ac
State Park · 587 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 257 acAgricultural Easement · 245 acConservation Easement · 208 acLocal Other or Unknown · 181 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 331 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park
State Park
Not recorded587Open
Upton State Forest
State Resource Management Area
Not recorded179Open
E. Kent Swift Wildlife Management Area
State Conservation Area
Not recorded171Open
Shining Rock Golf Club
Private Other or Unknown
Not recorded147Restricted
Donald Ross Golf Course
Private Other or Unknown
Not recorded110Closed
Northbridge High School Athletic Fields
Research or Educational Area
Not recorded65Open
Pine Grove Cemetery
Private Historic or Cultural
Not recorded48Unknown
Shining Rocks
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city44Open
Fletcher Street Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded33Open
Arcade Pond
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded26Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

15 places to go in Northbridge

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in Northbridge
Shining Rock466 ft elevation
Directions
Goat Hill446 ft elevation · In Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park
Directions
Plummers Hill387 ft elevation
Directions
Bad Lands377 ft elevation
Directions
Trails & water

25 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.3 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 9.8 mi
Badlands Loop2.9 mi
Greenway Trail1.7 mi
Wind Up1.3 mi
India1.2 mi
Plummer's Trail1.1 mi
Oscar1.1 mi
Romeo1.0 mi
Quebec0.9 mi
Reload North0.8 mi
Mumford River Walk0.7 mi
15 more trails
King Phillip's Trail
0.7 mi
Golf
0.7 mi
Canal Towpath
0.7 mi
Huckleberry Trail
0.6 mi
Lima
0.6 mi
Vernal Pool Path
0.5 mi
Mike
0.5 mi
Southern Access Trail
0.4 mi
Hotel
0.4 mi
Yellowthroat Trail
0.4 mi
Delta
0.4 mi
Echo
0.3 mi
Upper Goat Hill Trail
0.3 mi
Self-guided Nature Trail
0.3 mi
Juliet
0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Arcade PondCarpenter ReservoirreservoirFish PondreservoirLinwood PondpondMeadow PondRiley PondRiverdale PondreservoirRockdale PondreservoirWhitins PondreservoirBlackstone RiverMumford 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.

Blackstone River Greenway (MA)Bike route
1.6 mi
Courts & fields
10Baseball
10Tennis
5Soccer
3Basketball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
1Skate park

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

5 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Blackstone CanalStructure · listed 1973
About it
Rockdale Common Housing DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About it
Whitinsville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About it
US Post Office-Whitinsville MainBuilding · listed 1987
About it
Linwood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Northbridge: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.410.511.813.314.615.215.013.912.411.09.79.1
High (°F)363846597078838174625141
Rain (in)3.83.44.54.43.64.43.74.03.95.03.94.7

February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Northbridge →

Next door

Northbridge and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Upton94 miSutton67 miNorthbridge46 miGrafton45 miUxbridge28 miWhitinsville4.3 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Northbridge17%2.79776%A+
Upton21%4.437081%A+
Sutton18%2.128966%A
Uxbridge12%0.910568%A
Whitinsville— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Grafton13%2.08796%A+

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Northbridge

Where can I hike in Northbridge?

The longest trail networks: Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, 9.7 miles; West Hill Wildlife Management Area, 6.3 miles; West Hill Park, 2.6 miles; E. Kent Swift Wildlife Management Area, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Northbridge is conserved land?

17% 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 Northbridge’s trails?

Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park and West Hill Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Northbridge?

37,491 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northbridge or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,637 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Northbridge have?

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #164 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 Northbridge neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →