Charles River Reservation
Managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
75 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: IFCAR · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Watertown
13% of Watertown’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. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Watertown, 3.4 per square mile of land. 13% of Watertown’s land is conserved, about 332 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #219 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
332 acres · of 4.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
217 ac
6.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
5.4 mi lanes · 9.6 mi paths
Highest peak
213 ft
Meetinghouse Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Watertown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Watertown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Watertown is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #219 of 283 in Massachusetts. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Watertown’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land6.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (217 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13CParks 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 90%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 23%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Watertown’s 13% is ahead of 17% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% 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 Charles River Reservation, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Whitney Hill Park
Nature preserve
10 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Charles River Reservation75 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsWhitney Hill Park10 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSquibnocket Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFilippello Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsArsenal Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVictory Field12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCannalonga Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSaltonstall Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJames P. Casey Memorial Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWatertown-Cambridge Greenway8 acres
DirectionsBuckingham, Browne and Nichols (BB&N) Fields6 acres
DirectionsMoxley Park5 acres
DirectionsO'Connell Park3 acres
Boyd Park2 acres
Directions552 Main Street Playground2 acres
DirectionsLowell Playground2 acres
DirectionsHow Park2 acres
DirectionsBemis Park2 acres
DirectionsWatertown Linear Park2 acres
DirectionsLieutenant Paul J. Sullivan Playground1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
332 conserved acres
13% of Watertown’s land. Who manages Watertown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city44 ac
Other state land10 ac
Private owners6 ac
State parks1 ac
State conservation1 ac
Not recorded284 ac
State Park · 100 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 89 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 51 acLocal Other or Unknown · 32 acLocal Park · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles River Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 90 | Open |
| Oakley Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 89 | Restricted |
| Gore Place Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 37 | Restricted |
| Ridgelawn Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| St Patricks Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| Victory Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Open |
| Whitney Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Saltonstall Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Watertown Greenway State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Cannalonga Memorial Park State Park | Other state land | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Watertown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Watertown
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Watertown
East Housing Project Playground
DirectionsHosmer Playground
DirectionsPat and Gabriel Farren PlaygroundIn Charles River Reservation
DirectionsWest Housing Project Playground
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Watertown
Filippello Dog ParkIn Filippello Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Watertown
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Watertown
George Washington Tower
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Watertown
Meetinghouse Hill213 ft elevation
DirectionsWhitney Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Auburn43 ft elevation
DirectionsCoolidge Hill36 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Watertown
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Indian Ridge Path0.4 mi
Azalea Path0.2 mi
Narcissus Path0.2 mi
Oxalis Path0.1 mi
Andromedia Path0.1 mi
Riverwalk0.1 mi
Willow Pond Path0.1 mi
Hazel Dell Path0.1 mi
Willow Pond Knoll0.1 mi
Begonia Path0.1 mi
15 more trails
Vesper Path
0.1 miBluejay Path
0.1 miPheasant Path
0.1 miSparrow Path
0.1 miHarebell Path
0.1 miGreenbrier Path
0.1 miViolet Path
0.1 miYarrow Path
0.1 miPyrola Path
0.1 miRaven Path
0.1 miRobin Path
0.1 miBellwort Path
0.1 miArethusa Path
0.1 miMistletoe Path
0.1 miCelastrus Path
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.6 mi
off-road bike paths
2.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Tennis
18Basketball
10Baseball
7Soccer
5Pickleball
2Football
2Skate park
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Commanding Officer's Quarters, Watertown ArsenalBuilding · listed 1976
About itEdmund Fowle HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itMiles Pratt HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itAbraham Browne HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWatertown Arsenal Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999
About itTown DinerBuilding · listed 1999
About itWatertown High School, OldBuilding · listed 2006
About itCoolidge SchoolBuilding · listed 2009
About itCommon Street CemeterySite · listed 2022
About itOld Burying GroundSite · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Watertown: 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) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Watertown →
Next door
Watertown and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Watertown
Where can I hike in Watertown?
The longest trail networks: Charles River Reservation, 1.5 miles; Whitney Hill Park, 0.9 miles; Squibnocket Park, 0.3 miles; Filippello Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Watertown 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 Watertown’s trails?
Charles River Reservation and Whitney Hill Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Watertown?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes, 9.6 of off-road paths and 2.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Watertown?
39,206 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Watertown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 220 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Watertown have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #219 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 Watertown 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 →