Tewksbury State Hospital
Nature preserve
575 acres10.1 mi of trail
Bay Circuit TrailThe Pines Cemetery Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Tewksbury
Tewksbury has 39 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
15% of Tewksbury’s land is conserved, about 2,011 acres. 1,596 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #153 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,011 acres · of 20.7 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,596 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
Highest peak
348 ft
Ames Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Tewksbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tewksbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tewksbury is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #153 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 Tewksbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,596 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 46%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Tewksbury’s 15% is ahead of 25% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% 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 Tewksbury State Hospital, with 10.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chandler Well Fields
Nature preserve
119 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Great Swamp
Nature preserve
247 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tewksbury Water Department Land
Nature preserve
77 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Foster Park Conservation Area
Nature preserve
38 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Saunders Recreational Area
Managed by Town Of Tewksbury
36 acres0.8 mi of trail
Bay Circuit Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Evergreen Estates
Nature preserve
23 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 49 parks & preserves
Tewksbury State Hospital575 acres · 10.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChandler Well Fields119 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMelvin G. Rogers Park29 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Swamp247 acres · 1 mi of trail
Tewksbury Water Department Land77 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsFoster Park Conservation Area38 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Saunders Recreational Area36 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town Of Tewksbury
DirectionsEvergreen Estates23 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Easement Road Well Fields76 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Farwood Forest Open Space47 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Town of Tewksbury Conservation Land18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Point Lewis Land41 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Town Open Space83 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sal Frasca Soccer Complex30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOgonowski Memorial Model Flying Field17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShawsheen Overlook12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTewksbury Common2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Town Conservation Land128 acres
Squire Estates30 acres
Jennies Woods19 acres
Fox Run17 acres
Tewksbury Youth Baseball Fields16 acres
DirectionsCluster Zoning Site16 acres
Breckenridge Estates Open Space14 acres
Shawsheen Street Pumping Station14 acres
Cedar Swamp13 acres
Spaulding Lot10 acres
Bradford Estates Open Space9 acres
Elks Park8 acres
DirectionsAprils Way Open Space8 acres
Town Land8 acres
East Street Estates Open Space8 acres
Sutton Meadow7 acres
Thompson Lot6 acres
Leighton Estates Open Space6 acres
Settlers Way Open Space6 acres
McNeil-Walsh Open Space6 acres
Bligh Street Open Space5 acres
Arlington Street Site5 acres
Homestead Heights Open Space5 acres
Molly Drive Site5 acres
DirectionsKittredge Lot5 acres
DirectionsWillow Acres Open Space5 acres
Ballard Street Site4 acres
Geiger Drive Site3 acres
Cluster Zoning Land3 acres
Conservation Land1 acres
Mahoney Park1 acres
DirectionsWamesit Indian Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,011 conserved acres
15% of Tewksbury’s land. Who manages Tewksbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city628 ac
State conservation574 ac
Other state land573 ac
Not recorded1,086 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,231 acLocal Other or Unknown · 721 acWatershed Protection Area · 201 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 200 acLocal Conservation Area · 176 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 630 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 112 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tewksbury Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 195 | Unknown |
| Town of Tewksbury 1 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 156 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 151 | Open |
| Trull Brook Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 125 | Open |
| Andover Street Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 96 | Open |
| Water Dept Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 77 | Open |
| Fairlawn Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 66 | Unknown |
| Tewksbury State Hospital State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 57 | Open |
| St Mary's Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Longmeadow Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Tewksbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Tewksbury
Funway ParkIn Saunders Recreational Area
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Tewksbury
4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Peaks in Tewksbury
Ames Hill348 ft elevation
DirectionsPinnacle Hill121 ft elevation · In Tewksbury State Hospital
DirectionsSnake Hill121 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Tewksbury
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Tewksbury
Tewksbury Community GardenIn Tewksbury State Hospital
DirectionsWildflower Meadows
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.4 miHorses · 5.3 miUnpaved · 25.2 mi
Bay Circuit Trail3.1 mi
Salem & Lowell Railroad0.5 mi
Lowell & Lawrence Railroad0.5 mi
Painted Turtle Trail0.3 mi
Heath Brook Overlook Trail0.2 mi
Old Lowell & Lawrence Railroad0.2 mi
The Pines Cemetery Trail0.2 mi
Shawsheen Overlook0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
21Baseball
19Tennis
11Basketball
5Soccer
3Football
3Volleyball
2Disc golf
1Skate park
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).
Tewksbury State HospitalDistrict · listed 1994
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Tewksbury: 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) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Tewksbury →
Next door
Tewksbury and its neighbors
Tewksbury has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tewksbury | 15% | 1.9 | 51 | 93% | A+ |
| Andover | 17% | 4.4 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Lowell | 15% | 1.4 | 6 | 99% | A |
| Dracut | 15% | 1.0 | 13 | 83% | A− |
| Wilmington | 12% | 1.0 | 29 | 91% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tewksbury
Where can I hike in Tewksbury?
The longest trail networks: Tewksbury State Hospital, 10.1 miles; Chandler Well Fields, 2.3 miles; Melvin G. Rogers Park, 1.3 miles; Great Swamp, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tewksbury 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 Tewksbury’s trails?
Tewksbury State Hospital and Chandler Well Fields don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tewksbury?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Tewksbury?
40,343 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tewksbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,779 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Tewksbury have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #153 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 Tewksbury 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 →