Birch Hill Reservoir Area
Nature preserve
1,112 acres5.9 mi of trail
Wilson Court
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Templeton
Templeton has 2,351 acres of parks, 285 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Templeton’s land is conserved, about 4,127 acres. The biggest trail networks: Birch Hill Reservoir Area (5.9 mi), Templeton State Forest (3.6 mi), Otter River State Forest (1.6 mi). 24 miles of mapped trail cross Templeton, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #227 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,127 acres · of 31.9 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,351 ac
285 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.4 mi
7.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,276 ft
Dolbier Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Templeton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Templeton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Templeton is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #227 of 283 in Massachusetts. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Templeton’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land285 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,351 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home61% 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 90%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 20%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Templeton’s 20% is ahead of 46% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 11% 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 Birch Hill Reservoir Area, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Templeton State Forest
Nature preserve
706 acres3.6 mi of trail
Red Oak TrailCook's Pond TrailLink Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Otter River State Forest
Nature preserve
507 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dwelly Farm Conservation Area, North Country Conservation Trust (NCLT)
Managed by NCLT
65 acres0.6 mi of trail
David's Trail (yellow)Warbler Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Burnshirt River Wildlife Conservation Easement
Nature preserve
130 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Birch Hill Reservoir Area1,112 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
DirectionsTempleton State Forest706 acres · 3.6 mi of trail
Otter River State Forest507 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGilman Waite Field20 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDwelly Farm Conservation Area, North Country Conservation Trust (NCLT)65 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · NCLT
DirectionsBurnshirt River Wildlife Conservation Easement130 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Templeton Brook Wildlife Management Area82 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
So Main St Conservation Area18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
E Templeton Pond Dam Project4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Stone Bridge Wildlife Management Area228 acres
Floodswood Conservation Area129 acres
Ware River Watershed86 acres
Houghton Park7 acres
DirectionsKermit Coleman Field3 acres
Hubbardston State Forest1 acres
The Common1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,127 conserved acres
20% of Templeton’s land. Who manages Templeton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,830 ac
State parks1,243 ac
Town or city139 ac
State natural resources113 ac
State fish & wildlife113 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government75 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits17 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,751 acRecreation or Education Easement · 1,709 acState Resource Management Area · 816 acState Conservation Area · 737 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 465 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,520 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 715 | Open |
| Norcross Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 464 | Open |
| Stone Bridge Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 250 | Open |
| Ware River Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 169 | Restricted |
| Floodswood Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 129 | Open |
| Templeton Fish & Game Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 125 | Restricted |
| Otter River Sportsmans Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 111 | Restricted |
| Otter River State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 101 | Open |
| Royalston Fish And Game Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Restricted |
| East Templeton Pond Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 90 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Templeton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Templeton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Templeton
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Templeton
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Peaks in Templeton
Dolbier Hill1,276 ft elevation
DirectionsMine Hill1,188 ft elevation
DirectionsElliott Hill1,171 ft elevation
DirectionsChurch Hill1,148 ft elevation
DirectionsCrow Hill1,142 ft elevation
DirectionsNorcross Hill1,122 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.5 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 5.8 mi
Cook's Pond Trail0.8 mi
Red Oak Trail0.7 mi
Proposed Trail0.5 mi
David's Trail (yellow)0.3 mi
Warbler Trail0.3 mi
Canesto Hill Trail0.3 mi
Link Trail0.3 mi
Wilson Court0.1 mi
Biking & sports
7.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Basketball
3Football
3Soccer
3Tennis
2Softball
2Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Templeton: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Templeton →
Next door
Templeton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton | 20% | 0.8 | 285 | 61% | A |
| Phillipston | 41% | 0.7 | 2,115 | 71% | A |
| Gardner | 33% | 1.2 | 164 | 91% | A+ |
| Winchendon | 20% | 1.7 | 398 | 73% | A+ |
| Royalston | 37% | 0.9 | 6,519 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Templeton
Where can I hike in Templeton?
The longest trail networks: Birch Hill Reservoir Area, 5.9 miles; Templeton State Forest, 3.6 miles; Otter River State Forest, 1.6 miles; Gilman Waite Field, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Templeton is conserved land?
20% 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 Templeton’s trails?
Birch Hill Reservoir Area and Templeton State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Templeton?
7.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Templeton?
74,529 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Templeton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,817 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Templeton have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #227 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 Templeton 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 →