Ware River Watershed
Nature preserve
2,810 acres7.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Oakham
Oakham has 1,887 acres of parks, 1,152 for every 1,000 residents
39% of Oakham’s land is conserved, about 5,131 acres. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Oakham, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ware River Watershed (7.9 mi), Oakham Wildlife Management Area (0.9 mi), Barre Falls Flood Control Area (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
39%
5,131 acres · of 20.8 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,887 ac
1,152 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Highest peak
968 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Oakham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam1,152 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild39% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 84% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oakham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oakham is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. 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 Oakham’s overall grade.
Conserved land39% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,152 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,887 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home57% 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 94%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Oakham’s 39% is ahead of 88% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 25% 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 Ware River Watershed, with 7.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oakham Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
899 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Barre Falls Flood Control Area
Nature preserve
233 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eva's Woods
Nature preserve
77 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Ware River Watershed2,810 acres · 7.9 mi of trail
DirectionsOakham Wildlife Management Area899 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
DirectionsBarre Falls Flood Control Area233 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Eva's Woods77 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWright Memorial Field2 acres
Who protects it
5,131 conserved acres
39% of Oakham’s land. Who manages Oakham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land48 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government48 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)47 ac
Not recorded5,083 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 2,394 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1,049 acState Conservation Area · 874 acState Resource Management Area · 602 acAgricultural Easement · 142 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 48 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware River Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 2,522 | Restricted |
| Oakham Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 874 | Open |
| Treasure Valley Boy Scout Camp Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 745 | Restricted |
| Oakham State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 602 | Open |
| Quail Hollow Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 168 | Restricted |
| Oakham Pineacres Campground Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 70 | Restricted |
| Lake Dean Campground Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 66 | Restricted |
| Oakham Center School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 28 | Open |
| Wright Memorial Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
| West Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Oakham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Oakham
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Oakham
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Oakham
Prospect Hill968 ft elevation
DirectionsRocky Hill958 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.5 mi
Midstate Trail1.6 mi
Midstate Trail/Corridor 711.0 mi
Corridor 711.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Multi-sport
1Soccer
1Basketball
1Football
1Tennis
1Baseball
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). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Oakham: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 56 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Oakham →
Next door
Oakham and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Oakham
Where can I hike in Oakham?
The longest trail networks: Ware River Watershed, 7.9 miles; Oakham Wildlife Management Area, 0.9 miles; Barre Falls Flood Control Area, 0.7 miles; Eva's Woods, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oakham is conserved land?
39% 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 Oakham’s trails?
Ware River Watershed and Oakham Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oakham?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oakham?
42,918 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oakham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,908 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oakham have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Oakham 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 →