Red Brook Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
308 acres8.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wareham
Wareham has 115 miles of mapped trails, 3.2 for every square mile of land
20% of Wareham’s land is conserved, about 4,590 acres. 2,648 acres are parks and preserves, 114 per 1,000 residents. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #76 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,590 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
115 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,648 ac
114 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
92 ft
Brandy Hill
Lakes & rivers
25
72 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wareham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wareham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wareham is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #76 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 Wareham’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (115 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land114 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,648 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home95% 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 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 73%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Wareham’s 20% is ahead of 46% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% of them.
Water is 23% of Wareham’s area (10 of 46 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Red Brook WMA, with 8.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Minot Forest
Nature preserve
169 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Mass Audubon
207 acres3.7 mi of trail
Huckleberry LoopHeron Point LoopOld Pasture LoopWidow's Cove Loop+1
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Stony Point Dike
Nature preserve
72 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
New England Forestry Foundation
Nature preserve
59 acres2.1 mi of trail
Green Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Gleason Family Wildlife Preser
Nature preserve
65 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wildlands Trust - Great Neck Conservation Area
Nature preserve
48 acres1 mi of trail
Green TrailRed TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Myles Standish State Forest
Nature preserve
4 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 41 parks & preserves
Red Brook Wildlife Management Area308 acres · 8.2 mi of trail
Minot Forest169 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Neck Wildlife Sanctuary207 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Mass Audubon
DirectionsStony Point Dike72 acres · 3.7 mi of trail
New England Forestry Foundation59 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Gleason Family Wildlife Preser65 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
Wildlands Trust - Great Neck Conservation Area48 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsMyles Standish State Forest4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Woods at Great Neck15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Eldridge And Brown6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Marks Cove28 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Fearing Hill68 acres
I.C. Hammond Preserve28 acres
Conant Hill, Horseshoe Pond24 acres
Helen Palmer Lincoln Cons. Area20 acres
Horseshoe Pond20 acres
Standish Shores Preserve20 acres
Gateway Shores16 acres
Lawrence Channing Memorial Res14 acres
Cromesett Neck14 acres
Pattons Cove13 acres
Broad Marsh12 acres
Briarwood Beach11 acres
Conant Hill9 acres
Swifts Beach Road6 acres
Gleason Tract5 acres
Marion Road5 acres
Wabun Park4 acres
Leonard C. Lopes Memorial Park3 acres
DirectionsThomas Salt Meadow3 acres
Mayflower Ridge/Agawam River3 acres
Prospect Park2 acres
DirectionsShangri-La Park2 acres
Rockwell Conservation Restriction1 acres
Conservation Land1 acres
Agawam Mill Pond Access1 acres
Mary Besse Park and Pier1 acres
Alfred Ave.1 acres
Cedar Island1 acres
Longwood Park1 acres
Spectacle Pond Access1 acres
Who protects it
4,590 conserved acres
20% of Wareham’s land. Water is left out: Wareham has 35.8 square miles of land and 10.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wareham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits952 ac
Joint278 ac
Town or city234 ac
State natural resources199 ac
State fish & wildlife135 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)83 ac
Private owners49 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,696 acState Conservation Area · 1,202 acPrivate Conservation · 655 acWatershed Protection Area · 602 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 526 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 984 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 251 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Springs Wildlife Management Area Private Conservation | Private owners | 758 | Open |
| Red Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 492 | Open |
| Maple Park Campground Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 313 | Restricted |
| Wareham Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 293 | Unknown |
| Seawood Springs Wellfield Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 204 | Closed |
| Minot Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 182 | Open |
| Buzzards Bay Golf Course Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 139 | Restricted |
| Great Neck Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 109 | Open |
| Lyman Reserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 92 | Open |
| Gleason Family Wildlife Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 65 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
92 places to go in Wareham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wareham
Cedar Island
DirectionsIndian Mound Beach
DirectionsLittle Harbor Beach
DirectionsMinot Forest Beach
DirectionsParkwood Beach
DirectionsSwifts Beach
DirectionsSwifts Neck Association
Directions72 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Wareham
Indian Mound Playground
DirectionsOakdale Playground
DirectionsOnset School Playground
DirectionsWeweantic Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Wareham
Wareham Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Wareham
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wareham
Brandy Hill92 ft elevation
DirectionsWankinco Neck85 ft elevation
DirectionsLincoln Hill79 ft elevation
DirectionsTempes Knob79 ft elevation
DirectionsTarkiln Hill66 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wareham
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 25 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miHorses · 3.4 miUnpaved · 16.0 mi
Red Trail1.6 mi
Gas Line1.5 mi
Green Trail1.5 mi
Old Pasture Loop0.9 mi
Huckleberry Loop0.7 mi
Heron Point Loop0.7 mi
Old Carr Landing0.6 mi
Widow's Cove Loop0.3 mi
Heron Point Loop Trail0.3 mi
Connector Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Plymouth Boulevard
0.2 mineighborhood connector trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Bass CreekBlackmere ReservoirreservoirBlackmore PondreservoirDicks PondGlen Charlie PondreservoirHarlow Brook ReservoirreservoirHorseshoe PondLittle Long PondlakeMaple Springs Brook ReservoirreservoirMill PondreservoirOrtolani ReservoirreservoirParker Mills PondreservoirPopes PondpondRose Brook ReservoirreservoirSand PondreservoirSandy PondSpectacle PondTihonet PondreservoirTobey - Jones ReservoirreservoirTremont Mill PondreservoirUnion PondAgawam RiverWankinco RiverWareham RiverWeweantic River
Biking & 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
8Basketball
6Pickleball
4Baseball
4Tennis
1Football
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Wareham: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 40 | 46 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 63 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.3 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Wareham →
Next door
Wareham and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Plymouth577 miBourne188 miWareham115 miRochester26 miMarion22 miWhite Island Shores7.8 miBuzzards Bay4.7 miWeweantic1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wareham | 20% | 3.2 | 114 | 95% | A+ |
| Marion | 39% | 1.5 | 508 | 97% | A+ |
| Plymouth | 37% | 6.0 | 101 | 78% | A+ |
| Bourne | 46% | 4.6 | 113 | 96% | A+ |
| Weweantic | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rochester | 25% | 0.8 | 434 | 68% | A |
| Buzzards Bay | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| White Island Shores | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wareham
Where can I hike in Wareham?
The longest trail networks: Red Brook Wildlife Management Area, 8.2 miles; Minot Forest, 4.5 miles; Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, 3.7 miles; Stony Point Dike, 3.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wareham 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 Wareham’s trails?
Red Brook Wildlife Management Area and Minot Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wareham?
58,691 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wareham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,873 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wareham have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #76 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 Wareham 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 →