Moore State Park
Nature preserve
746 acres6.1 mi of trail
Laurel Hill Loop TrailDavis Road TrailThe Stairway LoopOld Brigham Road Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Paxton
42% of Paxton’s land is conserved: 3,973 acres
1,387 acres are parks and preserves, 277 per 1,000 residents. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Paxton, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Moore State Park (6.1 mi), Boynton Park (1.6 mi), Paxton Recreational Commission Trail System (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #115 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
3,973 acres · of 14.7 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,387 ac
277 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,381 ft
Asnebumskit Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Paxton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Paxton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Paxton is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #115 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Paxton’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land277 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,387 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home84% 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 97%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 60%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Paxton’s 42% is ahead of 93% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 27% 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 Moore State Park, with 6.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Boynton Park
Managed by City of Worcester
83 acres1.6 mi of trail
Silver Spring Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Paxton Recreational Commission Trail System
Nature preserve
77 acres1.1 mi of trail
Maple Cut-Off Trail (red sq.)Pond Loop Trail (blue cir.)Oak Loop Trail (yellow tri.)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Difley Family Forest
Managed by Greater Worcester Land Trust
105 acres1 mi of trail
Pond Loop Trail (blue cir.)Yellow Triangle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
312 acres0.9 mi of trail
Midstate Trail/Corridor 71
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Conservation Comm Land #2
Nature preserve
34 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Moore State Park746 acres · 6.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBoynton Park83 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · City of Worcester
DirectionsPaxton Recreational Commission Trail System77 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDifley Family Forest105 acres · 1 mi of trail · Greater Worcester Land Trust
Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area312 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Conservation Comm Land #234 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Paxton Recreation Commission28 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Ekblaw Bird Sanctuary10 acres
Who protects it
3,973 conserved acres
42% of Paxton’s land. Who manages Paxton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,190 ac
State conservation396 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government186 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits141 ac
Other state land112 ac
Joint54 ac
State parks13 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 2,541 acConservation Easement · 807 acState Park · 732 acState Conservation Area · 310 acPrivate Conservation · 231 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 399 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 74 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 1,361 | Closed |
| Kettle Brook Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 825 | Closed |
| Moore State Park State Park | Not recorded | 732 | Open |
| Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 310 | Open |
| Kettle Brook Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 207 | Restricted |
| Cournoyer Watershed Preservation Restriction Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 188 | Closed |
| Boy Scout Camp Private Conservation | Not recorded | 186 | Restricted |
| Paxton Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 94 | Closed |
| Boynton Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Anna Maria College Open Space Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 75 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Paxton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Paxton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Paxton
Paxton PlaygroundIn Paxton Recreational Commission Trail System
DirectionsWaterfalls in Paxton
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Paxton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Paxton
Asnebumskit Hill1,381 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Asnebumskit Hill1,309 ft elevation
DirectionsCrocker Hill1,211 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill1,184 ft elevation
DirectionsCooper Hill1,175 ft elevation
DirectionsTurkey Hill1,165 ft elevation
DirectionsHowe Hill1,155 ft elevation
DirectionsFox Hill1,125 ft elevation
Directions3 more peaks
Brigham Hill1,122 ft elevation · In Moore State Park
DirectionsBond Hill1,112 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Hill1,056 ft elevation · In Moore State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.3 mi
Laurel Hill Loop Trail0.8 mi
Pond Loop Trail (blue cir.)0.8 mi
Davis Road Trail0.8 mi
The Stairway Loop0.7 mi
Maple Cut-Off Trail (red sq.)0.6 mi
Midstate Trail/Corridor 710.4 mi
Old Brigham Road Trail0.4 mi
Davis Hill Field Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Triangle Trail0.3 mi
Newton Trail0.3 mi
7 more trails
Azalea Path
0.3 miAsnebumskit Ridge Trail
0.3 miJudy's Secret Garden Loop Trail
0.2 miOak Loop Trail (yellow tri.)
0.2 miEnchanta Trail
0.2 miBlack Hill Road Trail
0.1 miSilver Spring Trail
0.1 miBiking & 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
3Basketball
1Softball
1Soccer
1Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Paxton: 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 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Paxton →
Next door
Paxton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Paxton
Where can I hike in Paxton?
The longest trail networks: Moore State Park, 6.1 miles; Boynton Park, 1.6 miles; Paxton Recreational Commission Trail System, 1.1 miles; Difley Family Forest, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Paxton is conserved land?
42% 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 Paxton’s trails?
Moore State Park and Boynton Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Paxton?
28,255 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Paxton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,542 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Paxton have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #115 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 Paxton 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 →