Sutton State Forest
Managed by Mass DCR - Division of State Parks and Recreation
1,401 acres16.9 mi of trail
Par 5Low RollerThe MistressJoe's Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Sutton Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sutton
Sutton has 67 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
2,735 acres are parks and preserves, 289 per 1,000 residents. 18% of Sutton’s land is conserved, about 3,641 acres. The biggest trail networks: Sutton State Forest (16.9 mi), Purgatory Chasm State Reservation (3.6 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #173 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
3,641 acres · of 32.4 sq mi of land
Trails
67 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,735 ac
289 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
Highest peak
840 ft
Whittier Hill
Lakes & rivers
21
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Sutton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 94% of U.S. towns.Room to roam289 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild18% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sutton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sutton is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #173 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sutton’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (67 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land289 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,735 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home66% 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 95%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 39%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Sutton’s 18% is ahead of 34% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 54% 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 Sutton State Forest, with 16.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
177 acres3.6 mi of trail
Charley's Loop TrailOld Purgatory TrailChasm Loop TrailSpring Path+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
619 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Waters Farm
Nature preserve
137 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Sutton State Forest1,401 acres · 16.9 mi of trail · Mass DCR - Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPurgatory Chasm State Reservation177 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsMerrill Pond Wildlife Management Area619 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Waters Farm137 acres
Sutton Falls72 acres
Lackey Pond Wildlife Management Area23 acres
Wilkinsville Unity Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,641 conserved acres
18% of Sutton’s land. Who manages Sutton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land784 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)374 ac
Joint278 ac
Town or city238 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits73 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government31 ac
State parks7 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,520 acAgricultural Easement · 1,463 acState Conservation Area · 641 acConservation Easement · 241 acPrivate Conservation · 219 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 692 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 121 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,520 | Open |
| Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 618 | Open |
| Purgatory Chasm State Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 143 | Open |
| Pleasant Valley Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 135 | Restricted |
| Boria Family Farm Private Conservation | Not recorded | 81 | Open |
| Sutton Elem. Jr&Sr Schools Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Fleegrace Marble Farm Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Stevens Pond Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 50 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Sutton Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Sutton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sutton
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Sutton
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Sutton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Sutton
Whittier Hill840 ft elevation
DirectionsKing Hill830 ft elevation
DirectionsPotter Hill791 ft elevation
DirectionsPutnam Hill758 ft elevation
DirectionsFreeland Hill751 ft elevation
DirectionsPigeon Hill732 ft elevation
DirectionsLeland Hill663 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Sutton
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 21 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miUnpaved · 9.2 mi
Par 53.9 mi
Joe's Trail1.7 mi
The Mistress1.4 mi
Low Roller1.4 mi
Charley's Loop Trail1.0 mi
Old Purgatory Trail0.6 mi
Chasm Loop Trail0.5 mi
Little Purgatory0.4 mi
Spring Path0.3 mi
Carcass Canyon0.3 mi
3 more trails
Ridge Runner
0.2 miHoly Roller
0.2 miForest Road Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Aldrich PondClark ReservoirreservoirCogan PondpondGirard PondMarble PondreservoirMerrill Pond No. 3Merrill Pond No. 4Number 1 PondNumber 2 PondReservoir Number FivereservoirReservoir Number FourreservoirReservoir Number SixreservoirSingletary PondpondSlaughterhouse PondreservoirStevens PondreservoirSutton PondreservoirTown Farm PondTucker PondreservoirWelsh PondWoodbury PondreservoirBlackstone River
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
2Soccer
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sutton: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Sutton →
Next door
Sutton and its neighbors
Sutton has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Douglas84 miSutton67 miNorthbridge46 miGrafton45 miOxford30 miUxbridge28 miMillbury26 miWhitinsville4.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 18% | 2.1 | 289 | 66% | A |
| Northbridge | 17% | 2.7 | 97 | 76% | A+ |
| Millbury | 13% | 1.7 | 50 | 86% | A |
| Douglas | 28% | 2.3 | 82 | 45% | A |
| Oxford | 4% | 1.1 | 32 | 58% | B+ |
| Grafton | 13% | 2.0 | 87 | 96% | A+ |
| Uxbridge | 12% | 0.9 | 105 | 68% | A |
| Whitinsville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sutton
Where can I hike in Sutton?
The longest trail networks: Sutton State Forest, 16.9 miles; Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, 3.6 miles; Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sutton is conserved land?
18% 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 Sutton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sutton?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Sutton?
37,512 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sutton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,911 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sutton have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #173 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 Sutton 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 →