Brooksby Farm
Nature preserve
227 acres4.3 mi of trail
Siberia TrailSouth Perimeter TrailFelton LoopOrchard Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Fletcher · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Peabody
15% of Peabody’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
21 miles of mapped trail cross Peabody, 1.3 per square mile of land. 15% of Peabody’s land is conserved, about 1,537 acres. The biggest trail networks: Brooksby Farm (4.3 mi), Spring Pond Water Department Land (1 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #215 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,537 acres · of 16.2 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
754 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.4 mi
6.0 mi paths
Highest peak
230 ft
Waldens Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
What kind of outdoors town is Peabody?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Peabody have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Peabody is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #215 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Peabody’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (754 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% 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 91%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 24%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Peabody’s 15% is ahead of 23% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 26% 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 Brooksby Farm, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Pond Water Department Land
Nature preserve
89 acres1 mi of trail
Spring Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sydneys Pond Conservation Area
Nature preserve
31 acres0.3 mi of trail
South Peabody Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 34 parks & preserves
Brooksby Farm227 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSpring Pond Water Department Land89 acres · 1 mi of trail
Sydneys Pond Conservation Area31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Crystal Lake Conservation Area20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLt. Ross Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsO"Connor Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWillowbrae Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
East End Veterans Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHoover Street Wetlands24 acres
DirectionsKennedy Athletic Fields21 acres
DirectionsEmerson Park21 acres
DirectionsRaddin Road Park18 acres
DirectionsScouting Woods Disc Golf Course11 acres
Daniel Terrace Conservation Area9 acres
James Street Park8 acres
DirectionsRockaway Conservation Area7 acres
Lakeshore Park6 acres
Farnham Park6 acres
DirectionsBuckley Field5 acres
Corbiel Park5 acres
DirectionsConnelly Park5 acres
Morris Brook Wetlands4 acres
Russell Conservation Area4 acres
Marrs Park4 acres
DirectionsSquanto Park site4 acres
Symphony Park3 acres
Lalikos Park3 acres
DirectionsMill Pond Conservation Area2 acres
City Open Space2 acres
MacArthur Park2 acres
Forest Street Park2 acres
DirectionsWater Supply Land2 acres
Bartholomew Street Park2 acres
Pierpont Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,537 conserved acres
15% of Peabody’s land. Who manages Peabody’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city266 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits100 ac
Other state land61 ac
Not recorded1,211 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 402 acLocal Other or Unknown · 377 acWatershed Protection Area · 264 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 121 acConservation Easement · 119 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 85 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 104 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 402 | Restricted |
| The Meadow Golf Course Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 165 | Open |
| Puritan Lawn Memorial Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 102 | Unknown |
| Suntaug Lake State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 61 | Open |
| Spring Pond Reservoir Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| Winona Ponds Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Winona Pond Water Depatment Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| Winnona Pond Conservation Land Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 40 | Closed |
| Cedar Grove Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 39 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Peabody
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Peabody
Cottage Street Playground
DirectionsWhitney Playground
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Peabody
Waldens Hill230 ft elevation
DirectionsUptons Hill226 ft elevation
DirectionsBuxton Hill154 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pleasant138 ft elevation · In Brooksby Farm
DirectionsFox Hill95 ft elevation · In Emerson Park
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 3.5 mi
Orchard Loop0.9 mi
Siberia Trail0.7 mi
Felton Loop0.6 mi
South Perimeter Trail0.6 mi
Spring Pond Trail0.5 mi
South Peabody Trail0.5 mi
North Perimeter Trail0.4 mi
Smith Trail0.3 mi
Tower Loop0.2 mi
Blazewhip Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Newburyport Branch
0.1 miFinger Orchard Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
8.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
2.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Tennis
18Baseball
17Basketball
10Pickleball
3Soccer
1Softball
1Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →17 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Peabody City HallBuilding · listed 1972
About itPeabody Institute LibraryBuilding · listed 1973
About itGen. Gideon Foster HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itPeabody Central Fire StationBuilding · listed 1979
About itO'Shea BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itSecond O'Shea BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itPeabody Civic Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itNathaniel Felton HousesBuilding · listed 1982
About itSouthwick HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itSutton BlockBuilding · listed 1985
About itWashington Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itHickey-Osborne BlockBuilding · listed 1985
About it5 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Peabody: 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) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Peabody →
Next door
Peabody and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Peabody
Where can I hike in Peabody?
The longest trail networks: Brooksby Farm, 4.3 miles; Spring Pond Water Department Land, 1 miles; Sydneys Pond Conservation Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Peabody is conserved land?
15% 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 Peabody’s trails?
Brooksby Farm and Spring Pond Water Department Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Peabody?
8.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of off-road paths and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Peabody?
37,715 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Peabody or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 899 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Peabody have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #215 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 Peabody 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 →