Arthur Sharp Estate
Park
290 acres6.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Taunton
Taunton has 72 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
15% of Taunton’s land is conserved, about 4,349 acres. 3,547 acres are parks and preserves, 59 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Arthur Sharp Estate (6.8 mi), Westville Conservation Area (2.7 mi), Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area (2 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #206 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
4,349 acres · of 46.7 sq mi of land
Trails
72 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,547 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
2.1 mi lanes
Highest peak
194 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
19
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Taunton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Taunton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Taunton is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #206 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 Taunton’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (72 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,547 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home71% 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 91%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 27%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Taunton’s 15% is ahead of 22% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 33% 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.
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 Arthur Sharp Estate, with 6.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Westville Conservation Area
Park
58 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
365 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Memorial Park
Park
22 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Arthur Sharp Estate290 acres · 6.8 mi of trail
Westville Conservation Area58 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsErwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area365 acres · 2 mi of trail
Memorial Park22 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Hopewell Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDavol Park3 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWeir Village Riverfront Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area1,353 acres
Watson Pond State Park241 acres
Mcgovern Property14 acres
Plonka Property14 acres
DirectionsCain Pond10 acres
Woodward Springs7 acres
Terra Property7 acres
Weir Field5 acres
Mill River Park1 acres
DirectionsTaunton Green1 acres
DirectionsChurch Green1 acres
Who protects it
4,349 conserved acres
15% of Taunton’s land. Who manages Taunton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,341 ac
Town or city824 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits395 ac
Other state land326 ac
Not recorded3,473 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,856 acConservation Easement · 779 acLocal Other or Unknown · 485 acLocal Resource Management Area · 347 acResearch or Educational Area · 195 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 449 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 137 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2,705 | Open |
| Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 359 | Open |
| Emmie F Hutt Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 347 | Open |
| Sharp Preserve, Massachusetts Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 271 | Open |
| Arthur Sharp Estate State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 267 | Open |
| Taunton State Hospital State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 153 | Open |
| Segregansett Country Club State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 149 | Restricted |
| Parker Golf Course State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 136 | Open |
| Taunton High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 123 | Open |
| Massasoit State Park State Park | Not recorded | 122 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Taunton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Taunton
Amie's Playground
DirectionsSouth Street Playground
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Taunton
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Taunton
Weir Village Riverfront Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Taunton
Prospect Hill194 ft elevation
DirectionsPigeon Hill180 ft elevation
DirectionsLe Baron Hill105 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
18 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.5 miHorses · 8.3 miUnpaved · 50.0 mi
3 Mile River Dam Trail1.1 mi
Black Dog0.8 mi
Rico Trail0.8 mi
Hawk Trail0.6 mi
River Trail0.5 mi
Whittenton Branch0.4 mi
Fragrance Garden Trail0.3 mi
Crow Trail0.3 mi
Swan Trail0.2 mi
New Trail 20.2 mi
8 more trails
New trail 3
0.2 miFinch Trail
0.2 miPine Tree Trail
0.1 miNew trail 5
0.1 miChickadee Trail
0.1 miNew trail 1
0.1 miNew trail 4
0.1 miTaunton State Hospital Steam Plant Siding
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Barstows PondreservoirBig Bearhole PondreservoirBlack PondBunk PondDeep PondLake SabbatiareservoirLittle Bearhole PondreservoirMiddle PondreservoirProspect Hill PondreservoirSegreganset River ReservoirreservoirWatson PondpondWeir Village North PondWeir Village South PondWillis PondpondCotley RiverMill RiverSnake RiverTaunton RiverThreemile River
Biking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
19Baseball
13Tennis
8Basketball
6Soccer
6Pickleball
5Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →97 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.
Church GreenDistrict · listed 1977
About itBristol County Courthouse ComplexDistrict · listed 1978
About itAbiathar King Williams HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAbiezar Dean HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAlbert Sweet HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAlfred Paull HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAmbrose Lincoln Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAsa Lincoln HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itBarnum SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About itBrow's TavernBuilding · listed 1984
About itBuildings at 80 and 88 W. Brittania St.Building · listed 1984
About itC.J.H. Bassett HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About it85 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Taunton: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.3 in) and the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.1 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Taunton →
Next door
Taunton and its neighbors
Taunton has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middleborough98 miTaunton72 miNorton39 miLakeville34 miDighton6.5 miNorth Lakeville5.8 miRaynham3.6 miBerkley1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taunton | 15% | 1.5 | 59 | 71% | A |
| Raynham | 11% | 0.2 | 60 | 65% | B+ |
| Dighton | 7% | 0.3 | 54 | 77% | B+ |
| Berkley | 8% | 0.1 | 36 | 50% | B− |
| Middleborough | 21% | 1.4 | 267 | 64% | A |
| Lakeville | 24% | 1.2 | 60 | 46% | A |
| North Lakeville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Norton | 22% | 1.4 | 149 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Taunton
Where can I hike in Taunton?
The longest trail networks: Arthur Sharp Estate, 6.8 miles; Westville Conservation Area, 2.7 miles; Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area, 2 miles; Memorial Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Taunton is conserved land?
15% 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 Taunton’s trails?
Arthur Sharp Estate and Westville Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Taunton?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Taunton?
61,478 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Taunton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,712 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Taunton have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #206 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 Taunton 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 →