Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
327 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Public domain · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Oxford
Oxford has 30 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
431 acres are parks and preserves, 32 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Oxford’s land is conserved, about 752 acres. 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #273 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
752 acres · of 26.5 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
431 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi lanes
Highest peak
879 ft
Goat Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Oxford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oxford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oxford is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #273 of 283 in Massachusetts. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oxford’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (431 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home58% 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 74%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 4%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Oxford’s 4% is ahead of 1% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 24% of them.
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 Merrill Pond WMA, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kulisa Conservation Restriction
Nature preserve
24 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Greenbiar Recreation Area
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Huguenot Fort Site
Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area327 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Carbuncle Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Oxford
DirectionsKulisa Conservation Restriction24 acres
Greenbiar Recreation Area14 acres
Huguenot Fort Site9 acres
Little River Wildlife Management Area3 acres · Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game
Leovich Landing Conservation Area3 acres
DirectionsTreasure Land Recreation Area3 acres · Town of Oxford
DirectionsJoslin Park1 acres
DirectionsJosling Park (ext.)1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
752 conserved acres
4% of Oxford’s land. Who manages Oxford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land567 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)205 ac
Joint67 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits49 ac
Town or city12 ac
State natural resources1 ac
State fish & wildlife1 ac
Agricultural Easement · 837 acState Conservation Area · 327 acLocal Other or Unknown · 34 acConservation Easement · 31 acState Resource Management Area · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 347 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 327 | Open |
| Ruel Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 34 | Open |
| Douglas State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 29 | Open |
| Huguenot Fort Remains Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Joslin Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Town Forest Wood Lot Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Oxford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Oxford
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Oxford
Treasure Land PlaygroundIn Treasure Land Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Oxford
Leovich LandingIn Leovich Landing Conservation Area
DirectionsPeaks in Oxford
Goat Hill879 ft elevation
DirectionsTaft Hill840 ft elevation
DirectionsFort Hill830 ft elevation
DirectionsFederal Hill801 ft elevation
DirectionsBuffalo Hill748 ft elevation
DirectionsGrass Hill745 ft elevation
DirectionsConlin Hill741 ft elevation
DirectionsRocky Hill640 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Carp Hill581 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 1.7 mi
Midstate Trail1.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Basketball
7Soccer
6Tennis
4Skate park
2Pickleball
2Tracks
1Football
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 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Oxford: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Oxford →
Next door
Oxford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | 4% | 1.1 | 32 | 58% | B+ |
| Millbury | 13% | 1.7 | 50 | 86% | A |
| Auburn | 11% | 0.5 | 23 | 89% | A− |
| Charlton | 11% | 0.8 | 100 | 64% | A |
| Sutton | 18% | 2.1 | 289 | 66% | A |
| Dudley | 20% | 0.4 | 53 | 66% | A− |
| Douglas | 28% | 2.3 | 82 | 45% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oxford
Where can I hike in Oxford?
The longest trail networks: Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oxford is conserved land?
4% 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 Oxford’s trails?
Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area and Kulisa Conservation Restriction don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oxford?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Oxford?
35,385 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oxford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 436 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oxford have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #273 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 Oxford 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 →