Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
951 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Salisbury
Salisbury has 1,583 acres of parks, 171 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Salisbury’s land is conserved, about 1,889 acres. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Salisbury, 1.0 per square mile of land. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #145 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,889 acres · of 15.4 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,583 ac
171 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
6.4 mi paths
Highest peak
226 ft
Grape Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Salisbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salisbury is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #145 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 Salisbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land171 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,583 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 96%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 49%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Salisbury’s 19% is ahead of 42% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% of them.
Water is 14% of Salisbury’s area (2 of 18 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
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 Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sheep's Rock
Managed by Essex County Greenbelt Association
14 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Forest Road Woodlands
Managed by Essex County Greenbelt Associations
14 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stevens Conservation Area
Managed by Salisbury Conservation Commission
73 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area951 acres · 1 mi of trail · Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
DirectionsSheep's Rock14 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt Association
Forest Road Woodlands14 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Essex County Greenbelt Associations
Stevens Conservation Area73 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Salisbury Conservation Commission
DirectionsConservation Land29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Salisbury Town Common2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarr Island Sanctuary72 acres
Conservation Area31 acres
Ram Island State Wildlife Sanctuary27 acres
Jones Property20 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
DirectionsPartridge Brook Park18 acres
Messenger Marsh14 acres
Chase Property14 acres
DirectionsMarshland12 acres
Barnes Island11 acres
Lions Park10 acres
DirectionsHerbert E. True III Memorial Marsh9 acres
Beach Field7 acres
DirectionsEagle Island Wildlife Management Area4 acres
Ash Swamp4 acres · Essex County Greenbelt Association
Memorial Field3 acres
DirectionsMarsh1 acres
Who protects it
1,889 conserved acres
19% of Salisbury’s land. Water is left out: Salisbury has 15.4 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Salisbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land98 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits93 ac
State fish & wildlife85 ac
Town or city44 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government13 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)13 ac
State parks3 ac
State Conservation Area · 997 acState Park · 478 acAgricultural Easement · 118 acLocal Other or Unknown · 102 acWatershed Protection Area · 93 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 111 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 77 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 924 | Open |
| Salisbury Beach State Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 480 | Open |
| Salisbury Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 72 | Closed |
| Carr Island Sanctuary State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 69 | Restricted |
| Great Swamp Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
| Black Snake Road Water Supply Area Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 20 | Closed |
| Old Eastern Marsh Rail Trail State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| Partridge Brook Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Salisbury Point Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Open |
| Essex County Sportsmans Association Private Conservation | Not recorded | 17 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Salisbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Salisbury
Salisbury Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Salisbury
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Salisbury
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Salisbury
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Salisbury
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Salisbury
Grape Hill226 ft elevation
DirectionsBatt Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Salisbury
Black Bear Campground
DirectionsPines Camping Area
DirectionsRusnik Campground
DirectionsSalisbury State Park Reservation
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Salisbury
Partridge Brook Park Disc Golf CourseHours: Open 24 hours · In Partridge Brook Park · Town of Salisbury
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Salisbury
Salisbury Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.3 mi
High Rock Trail0.5 mi
Self Guided Nature Trail0.1 mi
Beach Access #140.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
3Baseball
2Tennis
2Skate park
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).
Ann's DinerBuilding · listed 2003
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Salisbury: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 44 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Salisbury →
Next door
Salisbury 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | 19% | 1.0 | 171 | 93% | A+ |
| Newburyport | 21% | 4.7 | 51 | 98% | A+ |
| Amesbury | 12% | 2.7 | 51 | 96% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Salisbury
Where can I hike in Salisbury?
The longest trail networks: Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area, 1 miles; Sheep's Rock, 0.8 miles; Forest Road Woodlands, 0.7 miles; Stevens Conservation Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salisbury is conserved land?
19% 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 Salisbury’s trails?
Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area and Sheep's Rock don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Salisbury?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Salisbury?
24,730 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salisbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,650 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #145 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 Salisbury 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 →