South Hadley has 58 miles of mapped trails, 3.3 for every square mile of land
31% of South Hadley’s land is conserved, about 3,473 acres. 2,979 acres are parks and preserves, 168 per 1,000 residents. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #19 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
3,473 acres · of 17.7 sq mi of land
Trails
58 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,979 ac
168 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
3.8 mi lanes
Highest peak
988 ft
Bare Mountain
Lakes & rivers
10
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is South Hadley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Hadley is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put South Hadley near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Hadley’s overall grade.
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so South Hadley’s 31% is ahead of 74% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% 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.
31% of South Hadley’s land. Who manages South Hadley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city554 ac
Other state land388 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits158 ac
State parks126 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)118 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land101 ac
Joint101 ac
State Park · 1,452 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,070 acAgricultural Easement · 606 acConservation Easement · 340 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 207 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 569 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 95 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Mount Holyoke Range State Park
State Park
Not recorded
1,021
Open
J.A. Skinner State Park
State Park
State parks
431
Open
Bachelor Brook/Stony Brook Resource Area
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city
284
Open
Ledges Golf Club
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded
210
Open
The Orchards Golf Club
Private Other or Unknown
Not recorded
192
Restricted
Mount Holyoke Range Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded
163
Closed
Bynan Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded
139
Open
Bare Mountain Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded
66
Open
Leaping Well Res.
Local Conservation Area
Town or city
37
Open
Town Farm
Local Park
Town or city
33
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in South Hadley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
16Tennis
8Baseball
8Tracks
6Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
1Field hockey
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in South Hadley: April to August
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)
35
38
46
60
71
79
84
83
75
63
51
40
Rain (in)
3.3
2.9
3.5
3.7
3.7
4.4
4.1
4.2
4.5
4.6
3.4
4.0
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in South Hadley →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Hadley
Where can I hike in South Hadley?
The longest trail networks: Mount Holyoke Range State Park, 10.3 miles; Bynan Conservation Area, 4.4 miles; Joseph Allen Skinner State Park, 3.6 miles; Bachelor Brook/Stony Brook Resource Area, 3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Hadley is conserved land?
31% 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 South Hadley’s trails?
Mount Holyoke Range State Park and Bynan Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Hadley?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near South Hadley?
47,078 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Hadley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,984 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Hadley have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 South Hadley neighbors.
Woodbridge Street Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0