Upton State Forest
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
1,584 acres27.4 mi of trail
Old Hopkinton Spring TrailRabbit RunNuthatch TrailWhistling Cave Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Upton
Upton has 94 miles of mapped trails, 4.4 for every square mile of land
3,033 acres are parks and preserves, 370 per 1,000 residents. 21% of Upton’s land is conserved, about 2,880 acres. The biggest trail networks: Upton State Forest (27.4 mi), Warren Brook Watershed (4.5 mi), Peppercorn Hill (4.5 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #109 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
2,880 acres · of 21.6 sq mi of land
Trails
94 mi
4.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,033 ac
370 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
600 ft
George Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Upton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Upton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Upton is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #109 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 Upton’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails4.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (94 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land370 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,033 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home81% 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 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 62%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Upton’s 21% is ahead of 49% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 91% 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 Upton State Forest, with 27.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Warren Brook Watershed
Managed by Town of Upton
325 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Peppercorn Hill
Park
299 acres4.5 mi of trail
Walleston Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Whitney Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Upton
55 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pleasant Woods
Managed by Town of Upton
32 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Hill Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
78 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Walleston Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Upton
31 acres0.4 mi of trail
Walleston Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Donald & Anne Kerr Memorial Preserve
Managed by Metacomet Land Trust
25 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Upton State Forest1,584 acres · 27.4 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWarren Brook Watershed325 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Town of Upton
Peppercorn Hill299 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWhitney Conservation Area55 acres · 2 mi of trail · Town of Upton
DirectionsPleasant Woods32 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Upton
DirectionsWest Hill Wildlife Management Area78 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Walleston Conservation Area31 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Upton
Donald & Anne Kerr Memorial Preserve25 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Metacomet Land Trust
Kelley Family Conservation Area14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Upton
Bonner Conservation Land69 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Metacomet Land Trust
Lake Wildwood5 acres
Who protects it
2,880 conserved acres
21% of Upton’s land. Who manages Upton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits295 ac
Army Corps of Engineers78 ac
State natural resources76 ac
State parks59 ac
Town or city56 ac
Joint32 ac
Regional agency22 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,593 acState Resource Management Area · 613 acConservation Easement · 485 acConservation Area · 78 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 73 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 305 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 67 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,191 | Open |
| West Hill Wildlife Management Area Conservation Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 78 | Open |
| Nipmuc Rod And Gun Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 73 | Restricted |
| Town of Upton Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Restricted |
| Upton Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 31 | Unknown |
| Nipmuc Regional High School Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 24 | Restricted |
| Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational High School Fields Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Restricted |
| Ruguleiski Woods State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 22 | Open |
| Kiwanis Beach Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| Lakeview Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Upton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Upton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Upton
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Upton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Upton
George Hill600 ft elevation
DirectionsPratt Hill594 ft elevation · In Upton State Forest
DirectionsPeppercorn Hill571 ft elevation · In Walleston Conservation Area
DirectionsChristian Hill525 ft elevation
DirectionsOckoocanganset Hill312 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.3 miHorses · 6.3 miUnpaved · 22.8 mi
Puddin Loop4.0 mi
Orange Trail1.4 mi
Old Hopkinton Spring Trail1.3 mi
Rabbit Run1.2 mi
Nuthatch Trail1.2 mi
Magenta Trail1.1 mi
Yellow Trail0.9 mi
Powerline Trail0.7 mi
Swamp Trail0.7 mi
Walleston Trail0.7 mi
13 more trails
Whistling Cave Trail
0.6 miChickadee Trail
0.6 miThe Road Less Traveled
0.5 miPipeline Trail
0.5 miSpring Street Trail
0.5 miGas Line Trail
0.4 miHawk Trail
0.4 miMammoth Rock Trail
0.4 miWarbler Trail
0.2 miBeaver Path
0.2 miGrouse Trail
0.2 miSparrow Trail
0.2 miEames Lane Link
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Baseball
3Tennis
2Football
2Basketball
1Lacrosse
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Upton: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Upton →
Next door
Upton and its neighbors
Upton has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hopkinton104 miUpton94 miNorthbridge46 miGrafton45 miWestborough41 miMilford34 miMendon29 miHopedale10 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton | 21% | 4.4 | 370 | 81% | A+ |
| Milford | 11% | 2.3 | 16 | 86% | A |
| Hopkinton | 23% | 4.0 | 158 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Northbridge | 17% | 2.7 | 97 | 76% | A+ |
| Grafton | 13% | 2.0 | 87 | 96% | A+ |
| Mendon | 10% | 1.7 | 139 | 55% | A |
| Hopedale | 23% | 2.0 | 86 | 83% | A+ |
| Westborough | 22% | 2.0 | 113 | 82% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Upton
Where can I hike in Upton?
The longest trail networks: Upton State Forest, 27.4 miles; Warren Brook Watershed, 4.5 miles; Peppercorn Hill, 4.5 miles; Whitney Conservation Area, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Upton is conserved land?
21% 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 Upton’s trails?
Upton State Forest and Warren Brook Watershed don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Upton?
37,740 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Upton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,266 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Upton have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #109 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 Upton 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 →