Wellesley Town Forest
Nature preserve
129 acres4.3 mi of trail
Charles River PathEsker TrailLongfellow Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Longfellow Pond Parking Lot
Photo: Trevorwelsh · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wellesley
18% of Wellesley’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. 41 miles of mapped trail cross Wellesley, 4.1 per square mile of land. 18% of Wellesley’s land is conserved, about 1,171 acres.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #99 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,171 acres · of 10.0 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
4.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
768 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
331 ft
Maugus Hill
Lakes & rivers
18
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wellesley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wellesley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wellesley is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #99 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wellesley’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails4.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (768 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks 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 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 65%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Wellesley’s 18% is ahead of 38% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% 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 Wellesley Town Forest, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Centennial Reservation
Managed by Town of Wellesley
80 acres2.9 mi of trail
Centennial Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sudbury Aqueduct Trail
Managed by Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
36 acres2.5 mi of trail
Sudbury Aqueduct PathSudbury PathGuernsey Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Forest Parking Lot
Fuller Brook Park
Managed by Town of Wellesley
64 acres1.9 mi of trail
Brook Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
North 40
Managed by Town of Wellesley
47 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Morses Pond Land
Managed by Town of Wellesley
38 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Boulder Brook Reservation
Nature preserve
32 acres1.1 mi of trail
Boulder Brook Reservation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rocky Ledges
Nature preserve
15 acres0.9 mi of trail
Boulder Brook Reservation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 56 parks & preserves
Wellesley Town Forest129 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCentennial Reservation80 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Town of Wellesley
Sudbury Aqueduct Trail36 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
DirectionsFuller Brook Park64 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Town of Wellesley
DirectionsNorth 4047 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Town of Wellesley
DirectionsMorses Pond Land38 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Town of Wellesley
DirectionsBoulder Brook Reservation32 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRocky Ledges15 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Hunnewell Fields35 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Wellesley Natural Resources Department
DirectionsGuernsey Sanctuary30 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Carisbrooke Reservation11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Kelly Memorial Park19 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsH.H. Hunnewell Arboretum12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSusan Lee Memorial Sanctuary8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Beebe Meadow7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Hunnewell Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAlexandra Botanical Garden10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOllie Turner Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Alumnae Valley6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRockridge Pond5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Morses Pond Beach4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHemlock Gorge Reservation1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsSprague Field25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSeverance Green4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
McKinnon Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Brown Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Morton Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Waterway1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heyl Sanctuary1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Overbrook Reservation10 acres
DirectionsWellesley Conservation Land10 acres
DirectionsWellesley Water Land9 acres
Colburn Road Reservation7 acres
DirectionsPerrin Park6 acres
DirectionsWright Pond Land6 acres
Indian Springs Park6 acres
Baird Marsh5 acres
Abbott Pond Land4 acres
Simons Park4 acres
DirectionsFarms Station South3 acres
DirectionsWarren Park3 acres
DirectionsOuellet Park2 acres · Town of Wellesley
Munger Meadow2 acres
Phillips Park2 acres
DirectionsCold Spring Brook Sanctuary2 acres
DirectionsSawyer Park2 acres
Farm Station Pond Land2 acres
Walker Woods1 acres
Yotz Field1 acres
Elm Park1 acres
DirectionsPickle Point1 acres · Wellesley Conservation Council
Overbrook Park East1 acres
Babson Centennial Park1 acres
DirectionsPine Point1 acres · Town of Wellesley
Devil's Slide1 acres
Post Office Square1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,171 conserved acres
18% of Wellesley’s land. Who manages Wellesley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city449 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits271 ac
State conservation26 ac
State parks1 ac
Not recorded764 ac
Conservation Easement · 316 acLocal Other or Unknown · 302 acWatershed Protection Area · 246 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 225 acLocal Conservation Area · 152 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 164 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 129 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Forest Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 152 | Open |
| Wellesley Water Supply Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 137 | Closed |
| Wellesley Country Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 137 | Restricted |
| Nehoiden Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 88 | Restricted |
| Morses Pond Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Sudbury Aqueduct Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 66 | Closed |
| Charles River Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 52 | Open |
| Senior High/Hunnewell Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Woodlawn Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 46 | Open |
| Cochituate Aqueduct Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Wellesley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wellesley
Morses Pond Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wellesley
Barton Road Playground
DirectionsBrown Park PlaygroundIn Brown Park
DirectionsFiske Lower Playground
DirectionsFiske Upper Playground
DirectionsFreinds of Phillips Park PlaygroundIn Phillips Park
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Wellesley
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Wellesley
Rocky Ledges OverlookIn Rocky Ledges
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wellesley
Maugus Hill331 ft elevation
DirectionsPeirce Hill299 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.8 miUnpaved · 17.5 mi
Crosstown Trail3.0 mi
Brook Path2.2 mi
Sudbury Aqueduct Path1.3 mi
Lake Waban Loop Trail1.3 mi
Charles River Path1.2 mi
Sudbury Path1.0 mi
Boulder Brook Reservation Trail1.0 mi
Centennial Park Trail0.9 mi
Guernsey Path0.8 mi
Esker Trail0.8 mi
3 more trails
Longfellow Pond Trail
0.7 miCochituate Aqueduct Trail
0.3 miThe Waterway
0.1 miBiking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
12 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
48Tennis
14Baseball
12Basketball
9Soccer
4Softball
4Pickleball
2Lacrosse
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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.
Wellesley Town HallBuilding · listed 1976
About itEaton-Moulton MillBuilding · listed 1976
About itIntermediate BuildingBuilding · listed 1981
About itWellesley Farms Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1986
About itSudbury Aqueduct Linear DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itElm Park and Isaac Sprague Memorial TowerSite · listed 2007
About itWellesley Hills Branch LibraryBuilding · listed 2007
About itFuller Brook ParkDistrict · listed 2013
About itWellesley Congregational Church and CemeterySite · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Wellesley: 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) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wellesley →
Next door
Wellesley and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Wellesley
Where can I hike in Wellesley?
The longest trail networks: Wellesley Town Forest, 4.3 miles; Centennial Reservation, 2.9 miles; Sudbury Aqueduct Trail, 2.5 miles; Fuller Brook Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wellesley is conserved land?
18% 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 Wellesley’s trails?
Wellesley Town Forest and Centennial Reservation don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wellesley?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 0.4 of off-road paths and 12 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wellesley?
48,978 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wellesley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 821 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wellesley have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #99 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 Wellesley 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 →