Prospect Park
Park
74 acres2.3 mi of trail
Berry Hill TrailMeeting House Hill TrailScout TrailWhittall Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
District No. 5 School · Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury has 35 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Prospect Park (2.3 mi), Dean Park (2.1 mi), Carlstrom Memorial Forest (1 mi). 8% of Shrewsbury’s land is conserved, about 1,107 acres. 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #245 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,107 acres · of 20.7 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
692 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Highest peak
738 ft
Meeting House Hall
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Shrewsbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shrewsbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shrewsbury is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #245 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 Shrewsbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (692 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13BParks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 13%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Shrewsbury’s 8% is ahead of 5% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 39% 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 Prospect Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carlstrom Memorial Forest
Nature preserve
73 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rawson Hill
Nature preserve
53 acres0.8 mi of trail
Blue TrailDark Green Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eaton Pond Park
Park
25 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 26 parks & preserves
Prospect Park74 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDean Park79 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarlstrom Memorial Forest73 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsRawson Hill53 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Eaton Pond Park25 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Greylock Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSecret Garden14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Shrewsbury
DirectionsShrewsbury Town Common1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNewton Pond32 acres
East Slocum Meadow30 acres
Former Allen Property26 acres
Slocum Meadow17 acres
DirectionsPratt Farm Playground9 acres
Rotary Park7 acres
Two Islands - Flint Pond5 acres
Town of Shrewsbury Conservation Commission5 acres
Peat Meadow4 acres
Keywood Manor4 acres
DirectionsAudobon Park4 acres
Farrell Property4 acres
Quinsigamond State Park3 acres
DirectionsEdgemere Park3 acres
Bluegrass2 acres
Former Frybeck Estate2 acres
Addition To Former Frybeck Est1 acres
Hillando Drive Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,107 conserved acres
8% of Shrewsbury’s land. Who manages Shrewsbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city540 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits94 ac
State parks63 ac
State fish & wildlife6 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Not recorded665 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 434 acConservation Easement · 248 acLocal Park · 147 acResearch or Educational Area · 104 acState Other or Unknown · 96 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 20 of 100 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former Irving Glavin Center Recreational Area State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 95 | Unknown |
| Former Masonic Property Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| Newton Pond Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 66 | Unknown |
| Rawson Hill Brook Flood Control Site State Resource Management Area | State parks | 63 | Open |
| Lake Street Park Local Park | Not recorded | 62 | Open |
| Rawson Hill Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 55 | Open |
| Town of Shrewsbury 8 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Ward Hill Ski Area Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Restricted |
| Prospect Hill Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 36 | Open |
| Mountain View Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Shrewsbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shrewsbury
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Shrewsbury
Straw Hollow Playground
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Shrewsbury
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Shrewsbury
Meeting House Hall738 ft elevation · In Prospect Park
DirectionsRawson Hill732 ft elevation
DirectionsTemple Hill656 ft elevation
DirectionsGolden Hill643 ft elevation
DirectionsSewall Hill604 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Hill594 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill564 ft elevation
DirectionsWard Hill531 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Shrewsbury
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Disc
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.6 miUnpaved · 8.2 mi
Power Line Trail1.2 mi
Blue Trail1.0 mi
Jordan Pond Walking Trail0.6 mi
Yellow Trail0.5 mi
Red (2) Big Oval LSP0.5 mi
Berry Hill Trail0.5 mi
Yellow (4) LSP0.4 mi
Dark Green Trail0.4 mi
Red trail0.4 mi
Meeting House Hill Trail0.4 mi
15 more trails
Blue (1-S) LSP
0.4 miScout Trail
0.3 miorange trail
0.3 miPower Line West
0.3 miPower Line East
0.3 miLight Green Trail
0.3 miRed Trail
0.3 miold camp rd trail
0.2 miAndreoli Path
0.2 miWhittall Trail
0.2 miLake Str Connector LSP
0.2 miJuniper Trail
0.2 miLSP (5)
0.2 miblue trail
0.2 miyellow trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
110Basketball
41Tennis
15Soccer
14Baseball
11Pickleball
6Tracks
5Football
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shrewsbury: 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Shrewsbury →
Next door
Shrewsbury and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Worcester71 miGrafton45 miNorthborough43 miWestborough41 miBoylston40 miShrewsbury35 miWest Boylston12 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury | 8% | 1.7 | 18 | 86% | A |
| Boylston | 40% | 2.5 | 125 | 44% | A |
| Northborough | 23% | 2.3 | 102 | 92% | A+ |
| Grafton | 13% | 2.0 | 87 | 96% | A+ |
| Westborough | 22% | 2.0 | 113 | 82% | A+ |
| Worcester | 11% | 1.9 | 12 | 98% | A |
| West Boylston | 44% | 0.9 | 7 | 54% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shrewsbury
Where can I hike in Shrewsbury?
The longest trail networks: Prospect Park, 2.3 miles; Dean Park, 2.1 miles; Carlstrom Memorial Forest, 1 miles; Rawson Hill, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shrewsbury is conserved land?
8% 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 Shrewsbury’s trails?
Prospect Park and Dean Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shrewsbury?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Shrewsbury?
34,317 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shrewsbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 768 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shrewsbury have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #245 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 Shrewsbury 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 →