J.J. Round Park
Park
55 acres1.6 mi of trail
Blue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: RedSoxFan274 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Wakefield
13% of Wakefield’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Wakefield, 1.5 per square mile of land. 13% of Wakefield’s land is conserved, about 602 acres.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #182 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
602 acres · of 7.4 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
429 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
2.5 mi paths
Highest peak
236 ft
Harts Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Wakefield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 89% of U.S. towns.History along the way96 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wakefield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wakefield is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #182 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wakefield’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (429 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 36%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Wakefield’s 13% is ahead of 16% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 32% of them.
Water is 8% of Wakefield’s area (1 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 J.J. Round Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wakefield Town Forest
Nature preserve
44 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Breakheart Reservation
Nature preserve
32 acres0.9 mi of trail
Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Reedy Meadow
Managed by Town of Lynnfield;Town of Wakefield
135 acres0.6 mi of trail
Reedy Meadow Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Spring Street Park
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
J.J. Round Park55 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWakefield Town Forest44 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBreakheart Reservation32 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsReedy Meadow135 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Lynnfield;Town of Wakefield
DirectionsMapleway Playground9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSpring Street Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Hall Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLower Common7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Field5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Town Wells58 acres
Sullivan Memorial Park19 acres
DirectionsQuannapowitt Lakeshore7 acres
DirectionsMoulton Field5 acres
DirectionsMill River Floodplain5 acres
Nasella Field4 acres
DirectionsCrystal Lake Watershed4 acres
Little League Field4 acres
DirectionsConservation Land4 acres
Colonel Connelly Park / Gertrude Spaulding Park3 acres
DirectionsUpper Common3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
602 conserved acres
13% of Wakefield’s land. Water is left out: Wakefield has 7.4 square miles of land and 0.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wakefield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city104 ac
Private owners2 ac
Not recorded499 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 216 acResearch or Educational Area · 136 acLocal Park · 68 acWatershed Protection Area · 62 acState Park · 38 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 53 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 69 | Open |
| Town Forest Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Reedy Meadow Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Breakheart Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 38 | Open |
| Oldtown Wells/Pumping Station Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 36 | Open |
| Forest Glade Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 26 | Unknown |
| Town of Wakefield Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 25 | Open |
| Lakeside Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Wakefield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wakefield
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Wakefield
17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wakefield
Peter J. May Memorial Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Wakefield
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Wakefield
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wakefield
Harts Hill236 ft elevation
DirectionsCowdry Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsCandle Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsBoyntons Hill141 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Hill118 ft elevation
DirectionsCastle Hill66 ft elevation · In Breakheart Reservation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wakefield
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Wakefield
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 6.4 mi
Reedy Meadow Path0.6 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Ridge Trail0.1 mi
Golden Rule Lodge0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
16Baseball
11Basketball
10Tennis
5Soccer
1Skate park
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →96 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Elisha Knight HomesteadBuilding · listed 1984
About itWisteria LodgeBuilding · listed 1984
About itUS Post Office-Woburn Center StationBuilding · listed 1987
About itBeacon Street TombBuilding · listed 1989
About itBeebe HomesteadBuilding · listed 1989
About itBuilding at 38-48 Richardson AvenueBuilding · listed 1989
About itBuildings at 35-37 Richardson AvenueBuilding · listed 1989
About itCapt. William Green HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itCenter DepotBuilding · listed 1989
About itCharles Winship HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itChurch-Lafayette Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itD. Horace Tilton HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About it84 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wakefield: 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) | 36 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wakefield →
Next door
Wakefield and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Wakefield
Where can I hike in Wakefield?
The longest trail networks: J.J. Round Park, 1.6 miles; Wakefield Town Forest, 1.2 miles; Breakheart Reservation, 0.9 miles; Reedy Meadow, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wakefield is conserved land?
13% 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 Wakefield’s trails?
J.J. Round Park and Wakefield Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wakefield?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wakefield?
32,865 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wakefield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 463 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wakefield have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #182 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 Wakefield 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 →