Endean Park
Park
85 acres2.3 mi of trail
Endean Conservation Land Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fred Holland Day House · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Norwood
10% of Norwood’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12 miles of mapped trail cross Norwood, 1.1 per square mile of land. 10% of Norwood’s land is conserved, about 669 acres. The biggest trail networks: Endean Park (2.3 mi), Shattuck Park (0.7 mi), Bernie Cooper Riverfront Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #228 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
669 acres · of 10.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
511 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.1 mi
1.0 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
148 ft
Wyman Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Norwood?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norwood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norwood is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #228 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norwood’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (511 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 20%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Norwood’s 10% is ahead of 7% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 23% 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 Endean Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bernie Cooper Riverfront Park
Managed by Town of Norwood
6 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ellis Pond Conservation Land
Nature preserve
43 acres0.3 mi of trail
Ellis Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hennessey Field
Nature preserve
12 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Endean Park85 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsShattuck Park9 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBernie Cooper Riverfront Park6 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Norwood
DirectionsEllis Pond Conservation Land43 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHennessey Field12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNorwood Common1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles Elliot Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
William Pezwick Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Neponset Valley Lands49 acres
Fowl Meadows Conservation Land48 acres
Ellis Playground32 acres
University Ave Conservation Land20 acres
DirectionsWilson Street Playground12 acres
Doherty Field8 acres
LaSalle Road Conservation Land6 acres · Town of Norwood Conservation Commission
DirectionsFortune Drive Conservation Land4 acres
Murphy Field4 acres
DirectionsEverett Street Conservation Land4 acres
Winslow Field2 acres
Alevizos Park2 acres · Town of Norwood
DirectionsBond Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
669 conserved acres
10% of Norwood’s land. Who manages Norwood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city80 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Private owners3 ac
Not recorded577 ac
State Conservation Area · 319 acLocal Other or Unknown · 151 acResearch or Educational Area · 55 acLocal Park · 53 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 48 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 45 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwood Country Club State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 92 | Restricted |
| Ellis Avenue Wellfields State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 79 | Open |
| Neponset Valley Lands State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 56 | Open |
| Fowl Meadows Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 48 | Open |
| Highland Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 45 | Open |
| Ellis Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 41 | Open |
| Ellis Gardens Playground Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Hawes Brook and Pool Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| University Avenue Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| East Walpole Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Norwood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Norwood
Hawes PoolIn Endean Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Norwood
Bond Street Tot LotIn Bond Street Park
DirectionsFather McAleer's Playground
DirectionsJam TimeHours: Mon–Fri 9 am – 5:30 pm; Sat–Sun 9:30 am – 1:30 pm · Fee
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Norwood
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Norwood
Bade Canoe Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Norwood
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Norwood
Wyman Hill148 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 2.9 mi
Endean Conservation Land Path1.1 mi
Germany Brook Trail0.5 mi
Ellis Pond Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Baseball
12Tennis
9Basketball
5Soccer
3Football
3Pickleball
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). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Norwood: 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Norwood →
Next door
Norwood and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Norwood
Where can I hike in Norwood?
The longest trail networks: Endean Park, 2.3 miles; Shattuck Park, 0.7 miles; Bernie Cooper Riverfront Park, 0.6 miles; Ellis Pond Conservation Land, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norwood is conserved land?
10% 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 Norwood’s trails?
Endean Park and Shattuck Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Norwood?
1.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes, 0.1 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Norwood?
53,348 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norwood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 513 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Norwood have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #228 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 Norwood 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 →