Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest
Managed by Department of Conservation and Recreation
239 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Tyngsborough
Tyngsborough has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
15% of Tyngsborough’s land is conserved, about 1,659 acres. 807 acres are parks and preserves, 64 per 1,000 residents. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #161 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,659 acres · of 16.8 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
807 ac
64 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Highest peak
387 ft
Scribner Hill
Lakes & rivers
10
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Tyngsborough?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tyngsborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tyngsborough is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #161 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 Tyngsborough’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land64 acres of park per 1,000 residents (807 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home91% 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 43%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Tyngsborough’s 15% is ahead of 26% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% of them.
Water is 7% of Tyngsborough’s area (1 of 18 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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 Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elbow Meadow Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
195 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto ELBOW MEADOW
Sherburne Nature Center and Trails
Nature preserve
79 acres1.8 mi of trail
Woodland TrailWetland TrailHemlock TrailMeadow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Evergreen Estates Open Space
Nature preserve
85 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 19 parks & preserves
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest239 acres · 3 mi of trail · Department of Conservation and Recreation
Elbow Meadow Wildlife Management Area195 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSherburne Nature Center and Trails79 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsEvergreen Estates Open Space85 acres
DirectionsFox Ledge Town Conservation Land77 acres
Shady Glade Conservation Area67 acres
DirectionsLong Pond Shores (Camp Kiwanis)46 acres
Barr Property27 acres
Ironwood Park27 acres
Bridge Meadow Fields25 acres
Hunter Property19 acres
Bell Property17 acres
DirectionsWicassee Park & Fields10 acres
Gagnon Property9 acres
Riverfront Park8 acres
Dunstable Brook Wildlife Management Area7 acres
DirectionsCommunity Fields7 acres
Town Conservation Land3 acres
Lake Mascuppic Town Beach1 acres
Who protects it
1,659 conserved acres
15% of Tyngsborough’s land. Water is left out: Tyngsborough has 16.8 square miles of land and 1.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Tyngsborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city452 ac
Other state land288 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits158 ac
State parks47 ac
State conservation46 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
Not recorded1,057 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 353 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 303 acAgricultural Easement · 288 acState Resource Management Area · 240 acConservation Easement · 146 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 248 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 70 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 239 | Open |
| Vesper-Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 172 | Restricted |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Elbow Meadow Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Fox Ledge Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
| Tyngsboro Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 84 | Restricted |
| Town of Tyngsborough Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 84 | Open |
| Flint Pond Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 81 | Open |
| Evergreen Estates Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Town of Dracut Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 73 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Tyngsborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Tyngsborough
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Tyngsborough
Wicassee PlaygroundIn Wicassee Park & Fields
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Tyngsborough
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Tyngsborough
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Tyngsborough
Scribner Hill387 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Royal285 ft elevation
DirectionsPotash Hill240 ft elevation
DirectionsFox Ledge220 ft elevation
DirectionsAbrams Hill213 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill213 ft elevation
DirectionsCurtis Hill207 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Locust Hill203 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 11.9 mi
IACS Trail to Tyng Swamp1.4 mi
Woodland Trail0.7 mi
Behind Q-Hut to Lower Pond Trail0.4 mi
Pond Loop0.4 mi
Wetland Trail0.4 mi
Lower pond trail0.4 mi
Hemlock Trail0.2 mi
Meadow Trail0.2 mi
swamp bypass0.2 mi
Quarry Path0.2 mi
4 more trails
Dead end
0.1 miLong Trail at Stone Ridge
0.1 miPrimary Trail
0.1 mi(dead end)
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
33Tennis
15Baseball
11Soccer
3Basketball
3Football
1Golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Tyngsborough: April 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 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Tyngsborough →
Next door
Tyngsborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyngsborough | 15% | 1.6 | 64 | 91% | A+ |
| Dunstable | 30% | 2.5 | 796 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Chelmsford | 13% | 1.6 | 26 | 87% | A |
| Dracut | 15% | 1.0 | 13 | 83% | A− |
| Lowell | 15% | 1.4 | 6 | 99% | A |
| Groton | 34% | 4.7 | 569 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Westford | 24% | 4.6 | 104 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tyngsborough
Where can I hike in Tyngsborough?
The longest trail networks: Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest, 3 miles; Elbow Meadow Wildlife Management Area, 2.1 miles; Sherburne Nature Center and Trails, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tyngsborough 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 Tyngsborough’s trails?
Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest and Elbow Meadow Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tyngsborough?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Tyngsborough?
45,073 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tyngsborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,175 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Tyngsborough have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #161 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 Tyngsborough 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 →