Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
420 acres5.6 mi of trail
Potanipo Rail Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Pepperell
Pepperell has 2,342 acres of parks, 201 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Pepperell’s land is conserved, about 2,937 acres. 33 miles of mapped trail cross Pepperell, 1.5 per square mile of land. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #112 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,937 acres · of 22.6 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,342 ac
201 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Highest peak
489 ft
Mount Lebanon
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Pepperell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pepperell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pepperell is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #112 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pepperell’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land201 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,342 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% 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 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 61%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Pepperell’s 20% is ahead of 47% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 31% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Nissitissit River WMA, with 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heald Street Orchard
Nature preserve
80 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bemis Road Conservation Area
Nature preserve
115 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gulf Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
165 acres1.9 mi of trail
Jeff Smith TrailJST2Lawrence
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Heald Pond Conservation Area
Nature preserve
69 acres1.7 mi of trail
Jeff Smith TrailH2C
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nissitissit Meadow Conservation Area
Managed by Pepperell Conservation Commission
62 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Keyes Conservation Area
Nature preserve
77 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pepperell Springs Conservation Area
Nature preserve
268 acres1.2 mi of trail
Jeff Smith TrailH2CRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 45 parks & preserves
Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area420 acres · 5.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHeald Street Orchard80 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBemis Road Conservation Area115 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsGulf Brook Conservation Area165 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHeald Pond Conservation Area69 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsNissitissit Meadow Conservation Area62 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Pepperell Conservation Commission
Keyes Conservation Area77 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Pepperell Springs Conservation Area268 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMount Lebanon45 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Conservation Area48 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Town Forest99 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsUnkety Brook Wildlife Management Area103 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Keyes Conservation Easement40 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsKeyes Farm85 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDay Woods Conservation Area33 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWestside Trail6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsStewart Brook Conservation Area43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWalent Property46 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFriends" Land24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Nashua River Rail Trail10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kemp Parcel1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHovey Corner Conservation Area43 acres
DirectionsTownsend Hill Wildlife Management Area42 acres
Boy Scout Parcel34 acres
Cole Property32 acres
Shattuck Estates Conservation Area27 acres
Nashua River Access19 acres
DirectionsAnderson Lot14 acres
Nashua River Shoreline13 acres
Town Land11 acres
Burnham Lot11 acres
Egan Pond10 acres
Town Field9 acres
DirectionsMerrill Parcel8 acres
Nashoba Conservation Trust7 acres
Susan Smith Lot5 acres
Pepperell Pond5 acres
DirectionsGreens Brook Trail4 acres
Comisky Field3 acres
DirectionsCranberry Woods3 acres
Covered Bridge Conservation Area3 acres
DirectionsUnkety Brook Watershed3 acres
Kennedy Field2 acres
Foley Lot2 acres
J. Harry Rich State Forest1 acres
Who protects it
2,937 conserved acres
20% of Pepperell’s land. Who manages Pepperell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,099 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits358 ac
Town or city329 ac
State natural resources281 ac
State fish & wildlife223 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)63 ac
State parks18 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,667 acConservation Easement · 1,053 acAgricultural Easement · 651 acForest Stewardship Easement · 261 acPrivate Conservation · 211 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,011 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 219 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 655 | Restricted |
| Heald Street Orchard State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 81 | Open |
| School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 73 | Open |
| Bemis Road Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 64 | Open |
| Nissitissit Meadows State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 61 | Open |
| Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 59 | Open |
| Gulf Brook Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Keyes Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 49 | Open |
| Nashua River Rail Trail State Resource Management Area | State parks | 49 | Open |
| Jersey Street Water Supply Land State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 48 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Pepperell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pepperell
Jersey Street Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Pepperell
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Pepperell
Mount Lebanon489 ft elevation
DirectionsNissitissit Hills489 ft elevation
DirectionsShipley Hill463 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill453 ft elevation
DirectionsClarkes Hill210 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 20.5 mi
Jeff Smith Trail3.0 mi
Potanipo Rail Trail0.7 mi
H2C0.7 mi
Westside Trail0.5 mi
JST2Lawrence0.2 mi
Red Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
3Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pepperell Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Pepperell: 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) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Pepperell →
Next door
Pepperell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperell | 20% | 1.5 | 201 | 93% | A+ |
| Groton | 34% | 4.7 | 569 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Dunstable | 30% | 2.5 | 796 | 99%+ | A+ |
| East Pepperell | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Townsend | 24% | 2.4 | 555 | 89% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pepperell
Where can I hike in Pepperell?
The longest trail networks: Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area, 5.6 miles; Heald Street Orchard, 3.3 miles; Bemis Road Conservation Area, 2 miles; Gulf Brook Conservation Area, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pepperell is conserved land?
20% 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 Pepperell’s trails?
Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area and Heald Street Orchard don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pepperell?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pepperell?
46,398 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pepperell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,451 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pepperell have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #112 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 Pepperell 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 →