High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Marty Aligata · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Shelburne Falls
Few parks or trails are on the map in Shelburne Falls
13% of Shelburne Falls’ land is conserved, about 224 acres. 19 acres are parks and preserves, 10 per 1,000 residents. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Shelburne Falls, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
13%
224 acres · of 2.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
19 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,181 ft
Goodnow Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veterans Memorial Field
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
224 conserved acres
13% of Shelburne Falls’ land. Who manages Shelburne Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks148 ac
State conservation113 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits22 ac
Not recorded64 ac
Conservation Easement · 232 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 32 acRecreation or Education Easement · 29 acAgricultural Easement · 22 acPrivate Conservation · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 160 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arms Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Buckland Shelburne Regional School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| Gardner Falls Recreation Area Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Restricted |
| Veterans Memorial Field Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
| Cowell Gymnasium Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Shelburne Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Shelburne Falls
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Shelburne Falls
Salmon Falls Potholes
DirectionsPeaks in Shelburne Falls
Goodnow Hill1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Mountain804 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Tower Trail (White Trail)0.4 mi
Big Tree Trail (Yellow Trail)0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & 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
2Basketball
1Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shelburne Falls: 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 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Shelburne Falls →
Next door
Shelburne Falls 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Falls | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Buckland | 9% | 0.7 | 131 | 52% | A− |
| Shelburne | 23% | 0.6 | 684 | 72% | A |
| Charlemont | 23% | 1.6 | 137 | 24% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shelburne Falls
Are dogs allowed on Shelburne Falls’ trails?
High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary and Veterans Memorial Field don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Shelburne Falls?
30,277 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shelburne Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 19 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Shelburne Falls 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 →