Otis State Forest
Nature preserve
2,590 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Otis
Otis has 3,797 acres of parks, 2,338 for every 1,000 residents
38% of Otis’ land is conserved, about 8,590 acres. 4.7 miles of mapped trail cross Otis, 0.1 per square mile of land. 51% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
8,590 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.7 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,797 ac
2,338 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,952 ft
Dorman Mountain
Lakes & rivers
14
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Otis?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Otis have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Otis is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Otis’ overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4CPark land2,338 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,797 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home51% 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 78%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Otis’ 38% is ahead of 87% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 1% of them.
Water is 7% of Otis’ area (2 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 36%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Otis State Forest, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
151 acres0.3 mi of trail
Summit Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Farmington River Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,678 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Long Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
958 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Otis State Forest2,590 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary151 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFarmington River Wildlife Management Area1,678 acres
Long Mountain Wildlife Management Area958 acres
Tolland State Forest449 acres
DirectionsCold Brook Wildlife Sanctuary256 acres
Challinor Conservation Area174 acres · Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Beartown State Forest166 acres
McLennan Reservation132 acres
Hitt Cr124 acres
Becket Quarry15 acres
Who protects it
8,590 conserved acres
38% of Otis’ land. Water is left out: Otis has 35.6 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Otis’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits811 ac
State parks275 ac
State fish & wildlife20 ac
State conservation18 ac
Not recorded8,139 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,404 acState Conservation Area · 2,743 acConservation Easement · 832 acPrivate Conservation · 600 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 340 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 448 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 68 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otis State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,904 | Open |
| Farmington River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,729 | Open |
| Tolland State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,324 | Open |
| Long Mountain Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,013 | Open |
| Springfield Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 244 | Closed |
| Miller Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 210 | Open |
| Pioneer Valley Girl Scout Camp Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 200 | Restricted |
| Beartown State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 178 | Open |
| Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 152 | Open |
| Camp Nawaka Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 138 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Otis
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Otis
County Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Otis
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Otis
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Otis
Dorman Mountain1,952 ft elevation · In Beartown State Forest
DirectionsKingsbury Mountain1,906 ft elevation · In Long Mountain Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsChurch Hill1,854 ft elevation · In Farmington River Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsFilley Mountain1,713 ft elevation · In Otis State Forest
DirectionsLatimer Hill1,611 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Pinacle1,565 ft elevation
DirectionsLarkum Hill1,417 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Huckleberry Trolley Line3.1 mi
Summit Trail0.3 mi
Eratic Trail0.1 mi
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.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
3Soccer
1Basketball
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Otis: May to August
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) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 58 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Otis →
Next door
Otis and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otis | 38% | 0.1 | 2,338 | 51% | A− |
| Becket | 24% | 0.7 | 1,162 | 28% | A− |
| Tolland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sandisfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tyringham | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Monterey | 47% | 1.0 | 2,371 | 80% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Otis
Where can I hike in Otis?
The longest trail networks: Otis State Forest, 0.4 miles; Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Otis is conserved land?
38% 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 Otis’ trails?
Otis State Forest and Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Otis?
95,412 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Otis or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,835 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Otis have?
Ahead of 78% 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 Otis 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 →