Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
Managed by DCR - Division Of Water Supply Protection
5,445 acres18 mi of trail
NET Trail (white)N. Macedonia Rd.
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Shutesbury
More than half of Shutesbury’s land is conserved: 60%
60% of Shutesbury’s land is conserved, about 10,214 acres. 1,817 acres are parks and preserves, 952 per 1,000 residents. 72 miles of mapped trail cross Shutesbury, 2.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
60%
10,214 acres · of 26.5 sq mi of land
Trails
72 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,817 ac
952 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
63%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,070 ft
Ames Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Shutesbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shutesbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shutesbury is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shutesbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land60% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (72 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land952 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,817 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home63% 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 97%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Shutesbury’s 60% is ahead of 99% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% 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 Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, with 18 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Walter Cowls Jones Working Forest
Nature preserve
1,942 acres9.2 mi of trail
M&M Trail (Old Route)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Amherst Water Supply Land
Managed by Town of Amherst Water Department
283 acres7.7 mi of trail
M&M Trail (Old Route)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Banfield Agricultural Preservation Restriction
Nature preserve
157 acres2.9 mi of trail
Robert Frost Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bright Water Bog Conservation Land
Nature preserve
145 acres2.9 mi of trail
Big LoopUpland LoopWetland LoopPondside Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Shutesbury State Forest
Nature preserve
721 acres2.3 mi of trail
N. Macedonia Rd.NET Trail (white)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Footit Conservation Restriction
Nature preserve
292 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Paul C. Jones Working Forest
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
124 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Quabbin Reservoir Reservation5,445 acres · 18 mi of trail · DCR - Division Of Water Supply Protection
Walter Cowls Jones Working Forest1,942 acres · 9.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAmherst Water Supply Land283 acres · 7.7 mi of trail · Town of Amherst Water Department
DirectionsBanfield Agricultural Preservation Restriction157 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBright Water Bog Conservation Land145 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
Shutesbury State Forest721 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
Footit Conservation Restriction292 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
Paul C. Jones Working Forest124 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Lake Wyola State Park44 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrushy Mountain Wildlife Management Area84 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Sumner Mountain Road Water Supply Land24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Amherst Water Department
Cushman Brook Corridor29 acres
Sumner Mountain Road Conservation Restriction11 acres
Conservation Area3 acres
Who protects it
10,214 conserved acres
60% of Shutesbury’s land. Who manages Shutesbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,431 ac
State conservation956 ac
State fish & wildlife655 ac
State parks600 ac
Other state land314 ac
Town or city82 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government22 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 6,231 acConservation Easement · 3,913 acState Resource Management Area · 786 acRecreation or Education Easement · 523 acLocal Other or Unknown · 321 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,210 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 123 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quabbin Reservoir Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 5,225 | Restricted |
| Shutesbury State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 786 | Open |
| Amherst Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 570 | Open |
| Quabbin Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | State conservation | 411 | Closed |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 217 | Open |
| Lake Wyola Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 95 | Open |
| Brushy Mountain Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 85 | Open |
| Lake Wyola State Park State Park | Not recorded | 40 | Open |
| Sumner Mountain Road Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Shutesbury Elementary School Playground Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Shutesbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shutesbury
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Shutesbury
1 playground without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Shutesbury
Ledge viewIn Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Shutesbury
Ames Hill1,070 ft elevation
DirectionsBeech Hill951 ft elevation · In Quabbin Reservoir Reservation
DirectionsMount Mineral906 ft elevation · In Footit Conservation Restriction
DirectionsPicnic areas in Shutesbury
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.6 miHorses · 2.0 miUnpaved · 20.9 mi
NET Trail (white)5.9 mi
N. Macedonia Rd.1.4 mi
M&M Trail (Old Route)1.4 mi
Big Loop1.3 mi
Upland Loop0.8 mi
Poverty Mountain Trail0.7 mi
Robert Frost Trail0.5 mi
Wetland Loop0.4 mi
NET/M&M Trail (white)0.2 mi
Pondside Trail0.2 mi
3 more trails
Stone Stairs Trail
0.1 miMeadow Trail
0.1 miConnector Trail
0.1 miLakes & 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
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
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).
South SchoolBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Shutesbury: 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) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Shutesbury →
Next door
Shutesbury 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutesbury | 60% | 2.7 | 952 | 63% | A+ |
| New Salem | 81% | 0.4 | 277 | 49% | A− |
| Pelham | 61% | 2.9 | 1,542 | 89% | A+ |
| Amherst Town | 35% | 4.0 | 95 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shutesbury
Where can I hike in Shutesbury?
The longest trail networks: Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, 18 miles; Walter Cowls Jones Working Forest, 9.2 miles; Amherst Water Supply Land, 7.7 miles; Banfield Agricultural Preservation Restriction, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shutesbury is conserved land?
60% 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 Shutesbury’s trails?
Quabbin Reservoir Reservation and Walter Cowls Jones Working Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Shutesbury?
56,947 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shutesbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,777 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shutesbury have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Shutesbury 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 →