Rockland Town Forest
Nature preserve
34 acres1.2 mi of trail
Albert L Ingeno TrailJim's Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Rockland
Rockland has 15 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
11% of Rockland’s land is conserved, about 729 acres. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Rockland Town Forest (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #220 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
729 acres · of 10.0 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
382 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 3.8 mi paths
Highest peak
187 ft
Beech Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Rockland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 88% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild11% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Parks close to home91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.History along the way9 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockland is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #220 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 Rockland’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (382 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home91% 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 90%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 22%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Rockland’s 11% is ahead of 12% 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 Rockland Town Forest, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Beech St Conservation Land
Nature preserve
52 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Phillips Street Conservation Land
Nature preserve
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Rockland Town Forest34 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHartsuffs Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBeech St Conservation Land52 acres
Phillips Street Conservation Land27 acres
Pond St Conservation Land11 acres
Hingham St Conservation Land11 acres
VFW Drive Conservation Land11 acres
Summer St. Conservation Area10 acres
Bicentennial Park8 acres
DirectionsTown Park8 acres
Major Reed Park7 acres
John Smith Ln Conserv Land7 acres
Blaisdell Park3 acres
Howland Park1 acres · Town of Rockland Conservation Commission
Who protects it
729 conserved acres
11% of Rockland’s land. Who manages Rockland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city468 ac
Regional Water Districts92 ac
Not recorded334 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 289 acConservation Easement · 165 acWatershed Protection Area · 104 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 94 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 80 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 74 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 71 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| French's Crossing Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 106 | Open |
| Harmon Golf and Fitness Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 94 | Restricted |
| Abington and Rockland Joint Water Works Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Regional Water Districts | 92 | Closed |
| Beech Street Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Open |
| Holy Family Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 36 | Open |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Phillips Street Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 23 | Open |
| North Avenue Conservation Land Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 20 | Restricted |
| St. Patrick's Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Hartsuff Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Rockland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rockland
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Rockland
Beech Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsBeech Hill128 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rockland
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 6.5 mi
Twin Pond Trail1.5 mi
Albert L Ingeno Trail0.5 mi
Thompson Pond Trail0.2 mi
Jim's Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Tennis
7Basketball
1Soccer
1Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Rockland AlmshouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itRockland High SchoolBuilding · listed 1989
About itRockland Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1989
About itLower Union Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itPhoenix BuildingBuilding · listed 1989
About itRockland Trust CompanyBuilding · listed 1989
About itGrand Army of the Republic HallBuilding · listed 1997
About itEmerson Shoe CompanyBuilding · listed 2018
About itHoly Family Church Complex Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rockland: 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) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 5.0 |
July is the driest month (3.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Rockland →
Next door
Rockland and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockland
Where can I hike in Rockland?
The longest trail networks: Rockland Town Forest, 1.2 miles; Hartsuffs Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockland is conserved land?
11% 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 Rockland’s trails?
Rockland Town Forest and Beech St Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rockland?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 3.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rockland?
40,866 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 382 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockland have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #220 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 Rockland 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 →