Northfield State Forest
Nature preserve
3,456 acres29.5 mi of trail
Richardson Trail (Yellow)NET/M&M Trail (white)Old Orchard Trail (Blue)Notch Mountain Trail (Red)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Northfield
Northfield has 1,685 acres of parks, 587 for every 1,000 residents
31% of Northfield’s land is conserved, about 6,781 acres. 70 miles of mapped trail cross Northfield, 2.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Northfield State Forest (29.5 mi), Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center (7.5 mi), Satan's Kingdom Wildlife Management Area (3.5 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #207 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
6,781 acres · of 34.3 sq mi of land
Trails
70 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,685 ac
587 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi lanes
Highest peak
1,496 ft
Crag Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Northfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam587 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild31% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.A trail town2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Northfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northfield is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #207 of 283 in Massachusetts. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Northfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (70 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land587 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,685 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 27%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Northfield’s 31% is ahead of 76% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 54% 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.
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 Northfield State Forest, with 29.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center
Nature preserve
269 acres7.5 mi of trail
West Slope TrailSugarbushRock Oak RambleJug End+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Satan's Kingdom Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
776 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brush Mountain Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Northfield Conservation Commission
196 acres2.3 mi of trail
Town Forest (yellow)NET/M&M Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Satan's Kingdom Wildlife Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
149 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Northfield Mountain Riverview Picnic Area
Park
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Gunnery Sergeant Jeffrey S. Ames Accessible Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Northfield State Forest3,456 acres · 29.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center269 acres · 7.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSatan's Kingdom Wildlife Management Area776 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBrush Mountain Conservation Area196 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Town of Northfield Conservation Commission
DirectionsSatan's Kingdom Wildlife Conservation Easement149 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Northfield Mountain Riverview Picnic Area13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Hobo Falls Conservation Area17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Bennett Meadows Wildlife Management Area195 acres
Pauchaug Brook Wildlife Management Area155 acres
DirectionsConnecticut River Greenway State Park35 acres
King Phillip's Hill10 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park9 acres
Who protects it
6,781 conserved acres
31% of Northfield’s land. Who manages Northfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land958 ac
Town or city809 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits504 ac
State natural resources349 ac
Private owners256 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)183 ac
State fish & wildlife167 ac
State Resource Management Area · 3,439 acConservation Easement · 1,997 acAgricultural Easement · 1,182 acState Conservation Area · 1,052 acLocal Other or Unknown · 258 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,766 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 105 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 3,439 | Open |
| Satan's Kingdom Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 894 | Restricted |
| Brush Mountain Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 196 | Open |
| Pauchaug Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 158 | Open |
| Little Hemlock Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 153 | Closed |
| Pioneer Valley Regional School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 49 | Open |
| Connecticut River Greenway State Park State Park | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 29 | Closed |
| Bruce Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Closed |
| Town Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Northfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Northfield
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Northfield
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Northfield
Hobo Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Northfield
Peaks in Northfield
Crag Mountain1,496 ft elevation
DirectionsBrush Mountain1,493 ft elevation
DirectionsNotch Mountain1,276 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsUpper Bald Hills1,253 ft elevation
DirectionsGreat Hemlock1,250 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsFirst Bald Hills1,138 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsRoman T Hill1,132 ft elevation
DirectionsStratton Mountain1,014 ft elevation
Directions9 more peaks
Beers Mountain978 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Mountain971 ft elevation
DirectionsGreat Hemlock955 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsLouisiana Mountain925 ft elevation
DirectionsSouth Mountain915 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Hemlock912 ft elevation
DirectionsStrobridge Hill899 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsGarnet Rock715 ft elevation · In Northfield State Forest
DirectionsRound Hill545 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Northfield
Richardson-Zlogar Cabin
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.2 miHorses · 3.2 miUnpaved · 23.4 mi
Richardson Trail (Yellow)4.9 mi
NET/M&M Trail (white)4.5 mi
Old Orchard Trail (Blue)3.2 mi
Notch Mountain Trail (Red)2.2 mi
NET/M&M Trail2.2 mi
Town Forest (yellow)0.9 mi
Old M&M Trail0.8 mi
West Slope Trail0.7 mi
Sugarbush0.6 mi
Over the Top0.6 mi
15 more trails
Rock Oak Ramble
0.6 miJug End
0.5 miHemlock Hill
0.4 mi10th Mountain Division
0.4 miSunshine Trail
0.4 miGunnery Sergeant Jeffrey S. Ames Accessible Nature Trail
0.4 miPorcupine Trail
0.3 miVine Trail
0.3 miNotch Mountain Trail
0.3 miHidden Quarry Trail
0.3 miRose Ledge Trail
0.2 miMeadow Trail
0.2 miLibrary Trail
0.2 miJungle Trail
0.2 miDilly Down
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
6Baseball
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Northfield: May and July 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) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Northfield →
Next door
Northfield and its neighbors
Northfield has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Northfield
Where can I hike in Northfield?
The longest trail networks: Northfield State Forest, 29.5 miles; Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center, 7.5 miles; Satan's Kingdom Wildlife Management Area, 3.5 miles; Brush Mountain Conservation Area, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northfield is conserved land?
31% 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 Northfield’s trails?
Northfield State Forest and Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Northfield?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Northfield?
71,174 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,176 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northfield have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 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 Northfield 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 →