Village Park
Park
90 acres4.7 mi of trail
Two GuysOut and AboutGraveyardAbrams Rock Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: T.S. Custadio ToddC4176 15:04, 3 February 2007 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Swansea
Swansea has 21 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
10% of Swansea’s land is conserved, about 1,440 acres. 623 acres are parks and preserves, 36 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Village Park (4.7 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #263 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,440 acres · of 22.7 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
623 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 1.5 mi paths
Highest peak
66 ft
Devils Rock
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Swansea?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Swansea have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swansea is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #263 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 Swansea’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (623 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home67% 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 82%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 7%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Swansea’s 10% is ahead of 7% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 17% of them.
Water is 10% of Swansea’s area (3 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Village Park, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Birch Stevens Farm
Nature preserve
26 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barneyville Road Property
Nature preserve
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Village Park90 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPaquette Farm116 acres
DirectionsBirch Stevens Farm26 acres
Barneyville Road Property3 acres
Old Fall River Rd Property2 acres
Barneyville Rd Property1 acres
Off Long Point Property1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,440 conserved acres
10% of Swansea’s land. Water is left out: Swansea has 22.7 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Swansea’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land499 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits169 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)84 ac
Town or city80 ac
Not recorded974 ac
Agricultural Easement · 580 acLocal Other or Unknown · 284 acWatershed Protection Area · 278 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 257 acPrivate Conservation · 136 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 368 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 71 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 205 | Open |
| Water District Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 83 | Closed |
| Paquette Farm Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 79 | Open |
| Village Park Local Park | Not recorded | 57 | Open |
| Bushnee Rd Property Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 56 | Closed |
| Touiset Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Restricted |
| Off Mt Fair Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 50 | Closed |
| Hailes Hill Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 50 | Closed |
| Town of Swansea Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 41 | Closed |
| Jarabek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Swansea
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Swansea
Swansea Town Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Swansea
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Swansea
wildcat rock
DirectionsPeaks in Swansea
Devils Rock66 ft elevation
DirectionsMargarets Rock62 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Lakeside0.6 mi
Two Guys0.5 mi
Thing 10.5 mi
Chutes and Ladders0.4 mi
Rusty Car0.4 mi
Pine Needles0.4 mi
North Field Loop0.4 mi
Out and About0.4 mi
Bridges0.3 mi
Fire Road Downhill0.3 mi
15 more trails
Graveyard
0.3 miRidge Loop
0.3 miAbrams Rock Loop
0.3 miBoulderdash
0.3 miRoots
0.3 miSouth Field Loop
0.3 miLeap 3
0.3 miBuddy Trail
0.3 miJawbone
0.3 miJ Lo
0.3 miRidge Over Roots
0.2 miThe Downhill
0.2 miThing 2
0.2 miLinguica
0.2 miPower Lines to Pine Needles
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Baseball
7Tennis
2Soccer
2Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →32 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Luther StoreBuilding · listed 1978
About itMartin House and FarmBuilding · listed 1978
About itBend of the LaneBuilding · listed 1990
About itHarold H. Anthony HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itBark Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1990
About itBarneyville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itBenjamin Cole HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itChurch of Christ, SwanseaBuilding · listed 1990
About itColony Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itDavid M. Anthony HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itDeacon John Buffington HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itFirst Baptist Church and SocietyBuilding · listed 1990
About it20 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Swansea: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (3.3 in) and the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Swansea →
Next door
Swansea and its neighbors
Swansea has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Swansea
Where can I hike in Swansea?
The longest trail networks: Village Park, 4.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swansea is conserved land?
10% 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 Swansea’s trails?
Village Park and Paquette Farm don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swansea?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 1.5 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Swansea?
29,047 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swansea or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 623 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swansea have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #263 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 Swansea 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 →