Woodward Forest
Nature preserve
186 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Norton
22% of Norton’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 22% of Norton’s land is conserved, about 4,007 acres. 2,866 acres are parks and preserves, 149 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
4,007 acres · of 27.8 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,866 ac
149 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
4.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Norton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norton is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Norton near the top nationally; the share of residents near a park ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norton’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land149 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,866 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all 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 83%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Norton’s 22% is ahead of 53% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% of them.
Water is 5% of Norton’s area (1 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 22%.
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 Woodward Forest, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Canoe River Greenbelt amd Recreational Area
Nature preserve
49 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bertha Smith Land
Nature preserve
61 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Leo G. Yelle Conservation Area
Nature preserve
53 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailGreen Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Johnson Acres
Nature preserve
53 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Johnson Woods Lot
Canoe River Lands Preserve
Nature preserve
60 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lincoln Woods
Nature preserve
73 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Henrich Woods
Nature preserve
26 acres0.6 mi of trail
White Loop TrailRed Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Johnson Woods Lot
All 42 parks & preserves
Woodward Forest186 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCanoe River Greenbelt amd Recreational Area49 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBertha Smith Land61 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Leo G. Yelle Conservation Area53 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Johnson Acres53 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCanoe River Lands Preserve60 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln Woods73 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Henrich Woods26 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBlueberry Knoll Wildlife Area43 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Norton LPS
Everett Leonard Park27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Norton Parks and Rec
DirectionsCrane Farm Preserve12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Norton LPS
DirectionsL.A. Foster Wildlife Refuge West26 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsErikson Conservation Land74 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Norton LPS
DirectionsL.A. Foster Wildlife Refuge East23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsValentine Family Preserve11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Norton LPS
DirectionsMisty Meadows32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Everett Leonard Field9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Norton Parks and Rec
DirectionsJohnson Woods5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLibrary Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorton Tricentennial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorton Common1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Canoe River Access116 acres
Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area115 acres
The Elwin Nason Family Nature Preserve46 acres
Alice Clapp Smalley Wildlife Preserve35 acres
Medeiros Preserve32 acres
Rose Farm24 acres
Wheaton Swamp24 acres
Lanky Reinhard Pasture Land20 acres
Leonard St.15 acres
Eisenhower Swamp13 acres
Shore Drive13 acres
Hill St. Land11 acres
DirectionsPine St. Rear10 acres
King Phillip's Cave Conservation Area6 acres · Norton LPS
DirectionsWinthrop Dahl Nature Preserve5 acres
DirectionsThe Nelson Land4 acres · Norton LPS
DirectionsCharlotte/River Road4 acres
Wetherell's Island4 acres · Norton LPS
Toad Island Park3 acres
Bay Rd.2 acres
The Clover Lot1 acres · Norton LPS
Who protects it
4,007 conserved acres
22% of Norton’s land. Water is left out: Norton has 27.8 square miles of land and 1.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Norton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,209 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits207 ac
Other state land205 ac
State fish & wildlife122 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)51 ac
Private owners21 ac
Not recorded2,505 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,814 acState Conservation Area · 1,243 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,076 acPrivate Conservation · 475 acRecreation or Education Easement · 159 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 946 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 252 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Reservoir Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 469 | Open |
| Land Preservation Society of Norton Private Conservation | Not recorded | 405 | Open |
| Hemlock Swamp Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 227 | Open |
| Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 140 | Closed |
| Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 123 | Open |
| Canoe River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 119 | Restricted |
| Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 107 | Open |
| Bertha Smith Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 100 | Closed |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 98 | Open |
| Town of Norton State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 98 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Norton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Norton
Community PlaygroundIn Norton Tricentennial Park
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Norton
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Norton
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miUnpaved · 1.7 mi
Red Trail1.2 mi
Green Main Trail0.6 mi
Briggs Street Ext0.4 mi
White Loop Trail0.4 mi
Blue Trail0.3 mi
Red Loop Trail0.2 mi
Town Line Trail0.2 mi
Indian's Trail0.1 mi
Green Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
8Soccer
6Basketball
5Baseball
2Lacrosse
1Softball
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Norton: April 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.0 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Norton →
Next door
Norton and its neighbors
Norton has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Norton
Where can I hike in Norton?
The longest trail networks: Woodward Forest, 2.5 miles; Canoe River Greenbelt amd Recreational Area, 1 miles; Bertha Smith Land, 0.8 miles; Leo G. Yelle Conservation Area, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norton is conserved land?
22% 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 Norton’s trails?
Woodward Forest and Canoe River Greenbelt amd Recreational Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Norton?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Norton?
45,513 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,263 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Norton have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 Norton 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 →