Mount Toby State Forest
Nature preserve
1,252 acres12 mi of trail
Robert Frost Trail (Orange)Sugar Farms TrailCave TrailCrannberry Pond Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Tom Walsh · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sunderland
42% of Sunderland’s land is conserved: 3,829 acres
35 miles of mapped trail cross Sunderland, 2.5 per square mile of land. 780 acres are parks and preserves, 214 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mount Toby State Forest (12 mi), Mount Toby Wildlife Management Area (6 mi), Greene Swamp Preserve (1 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #180 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
3,829 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
780 ac
214 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
1,266 ft
Mount Toby
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sunderland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sunderland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sunderland is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #180 of 283 in Massachusetts. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sunderland’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land214 acres of park per 1,000 residents (780 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 37%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Sunderland’s 42% is ahead of 93% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% 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 Mount Toby State Forest, with 12 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount Toby Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
515 acres6 mi of trail
DownspoutRobert Frost Trail (Orange)Link TrailSummit Bypass+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Greene Swamp Preserve
Nature preserve
159 acres1 mi of trail
Greene Swamp TrailRobert Frost Trail (Orange)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Mount Toby State Forest1,252 acres · 12 mi of trail
DirectionsMount Toby Wildlife Management Area515 acres · 6 mi of trail
Greene Swamp Preserve159 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsConnecticut River Greenway State Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunderland Fish Hatchery104 acres
DirectionsMontague Wildlife Management Area37 acres
Russell Hill30 acres
Sunderland Islands Wildlife Management Area19 acres
DirectionsAmherst College Lot17 acres
Sunderland Town Park9 acres
Who protects it
3,829 conserved acres
42% of Sunderland’s land. Who manages Sunderland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,237 ac
State conservation901 ac
State parks897 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits547 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)291 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service175 ac
Joint94 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,720 acConservation Easement · 1,219 acRecreation or Education Easement · 901 acState Conservation Area · 571 acState Resource Management Area · 439 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,345 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 242 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Toby Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 526 | Open |
| Mount Toby State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 402 | Open |
| Greene Swamp Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 151 | Restricted |
| Sunderland Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 118 | Unknown |
| Richard Cronin National Salmon Station Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 116 | Restricted |
| Connecticut River Greenway State Park State Park | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Silvio O. Conte National Fish And Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 59 | Restricted |
| Sunderland Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 47 | Open |
| Montague Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Mt. Toby (Williams) State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Sunderland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sunderland
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Sunderland
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Sunderland
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Sunderland
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Sunderland
Mount Toby1,266 ft elevation · In Mount Toby State Forest
DirectionsRoaring Mountain1,168 ft elevation · In Mount Toby State Forest
DirectionsOx Hill971 ft elevation · In Mount Toby State Forest
DirectionsBull Hill919 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.1 miUnpaved · 21.2 mi
Robert Frost Trail (Orange)4.3 mi
Sugar Farms Trail1.7 mi
Downspout1.4 mi
Link Trail0.8 mi
Cliff Trail0.7 mi
Cave Trail0.7 mi
Greene Swamp Trail0.7 mi
Summit Bypass0.6 mi
Crannberry Pond Trail0.6 mi
Summit Trail0.6 mi
14 more trails
Blue Trail/Robert Frost Trail
0.6 miUpper Link Trail
0.5 miClark Mtn. Link Trail
0.4 miHemlock Trail
0.4 miRobert Frost Trail
0.4 miHemlock Loop Trail
0.3 miGreene Swamp Link Trail
0.3 miBridle Path
0.3 miBlue Trail
0.3 miWhite Pine Trail
0.3 miTrail to Caves
0.2 miRiverwalk Trail
0.2 miRoaring Mountain Trail
0.1 miRed Pine Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Tennis
3Baseball
2Basketball
1Volleyball
1Pickleball
1Soccer
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).
Sunderland Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Sunderland: April 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) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 75 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Sunderland →
Next door
Sunderland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 42% | 2.5 | 214 | 47% | A |
| Deerfield | 19% | 1.9 | 245 | 60% | A |
| South Deerfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Whately | 31% | 1.0 | 1,112 | 85% | A+ |
| Leverett | 37% | 2.9 | 751 | 88% | A+ |
| Montague | 43% | 2.3 | 782 | 79% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sunderland
Where can I hike in Sunderland?
The longest trail networks: Mount Toby State Forest, 12 miles; Mount Toby Wildlife Management Area, 6 miles; Greene Swamp Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sunderland is conserved land?
42% 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 Sunderland’s trails?
Mount Toby State Forest and Mount Toby Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sunderland?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sunderland?
53,820 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sunderland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,266 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sunderland have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #180 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 Sunderland 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 →