Rock House Reservation
Managed by Trustees of Reservations
133 acres2.8 mi of trail
Outer LoopPond TrailSummit LoopFullam Trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Richard B. Johnson · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in West Brookfield
West Brookfield has 1,930 acres of parks, 500 for every 1,000 residents
24% of West Brookfield’s land is conserved, about 3,191 acres. The biggest trail networks: Rock House Reservation (2.8 mi), Pynchon's Grist Mill (1.4 mi), Quaboag Wildlife Management Area (0.6 mi). 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross West Brookfield, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #234 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
3,191 acres · of 20.5 sq mi of land
Trails
9.1 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,930 ac
500 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi lanes
Highest peak
1,207 ft
Ragged Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
3 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is West Brookfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Brookfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Brookfield is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #234 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Brookfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land500 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,930 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home66% 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 88%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 17%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so West Brookfield’s 24% is ahead of 62% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 5% 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 Rock House Reservation, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pynchon's Grist Mill
Managed by East Quabbin Land Trust
77 acres1.4 mi of trail
Yellow TrailBlue TrailOrange TrailUnmaintained Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Quaboag Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
400 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Coy Hill Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
548 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 10 parks & preserves
Rock House Reservation133 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Trustees of Reservations
DirectionsPynchon's Grist Mill77 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · East Quabbin Land Trust
DirectionsQuaboag Wildlife Management Area400 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Coy Hill Wildlife Management Area548 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLucy Stone Home Site63 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Richardson Wildlife Management Area33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
West Brookfield Common6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sucker Brook F.C.69 acres
Magnante Land/Garrison Farm67 acres
Lamberton Brook F.C.5 acres
Who protects it
3,191 conserved acres
24% of West Brookfield’s land. Who manages West Brookfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,869 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits521 ac
Town or city200 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)51 ac
Joint51 ac
Not recorded1,823 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,950 acState Conservation Area · 1,431 acConservation Easement · 676 acState Resource Management Area · 143 acPrivate Conservation · 131 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,367 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coy Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 657 | Open |
| Quaboag Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 399 | Open |
| Whortleberry Hill Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 343 | Open |
| West Brookfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 143 | Open |
| Rock House Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 131 | Open |
| Sucker Brook Flood Control Site State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 70 | Open |
| Sportsmens Club Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Closed |
| Richardson Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Lamberton Brook Flood Control Site State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in West Brookfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in West Brookfield
West Brookfield Town BeachHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in West Brookfield
Wickaboag Landing
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in West Brookfield
Trailside CabinIn Rock House Reservation
DirectionsPeaks in West Brookfield
Ragged Hill1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsWhortleberry Hill971 ft elevation
DirectionsLong Hill932 ft elevation
DirectionsWigwam Hill899 ft elevation
DirectionsFoster Hill771 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 1.7 mi
Outer Loop0.9 mi
Yellow Trail0.6 mi
Orange Trail0.5 mi
Summit Loop0.4 mi
Pond Trail0.4 mi
Fullam Trail0.3 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Unmaintained Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
4Baseball
3Tennis
1Beach volleyball
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
White Homestead-Salem Cross InnBuilding · listed 1975
About itWest Brookfield Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itWickaboag Valley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itIndian Cemetery, OldSite · listed 2006
About itFoster, Jedediah, HomesiteSite · listed 2013
About itLucy Stone Home SiteSite · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in West Brookfield: 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) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in West Brookfield →
Next door
West Brookfield and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Brookfield | 24% | 0.4 | 500 | 66% | A |
| Warren | 6% | 0.1 | 57 | 54% | B |
| Brookfield | 35% | 0.8 | 778 | 83% | A+ |
| Ware | 30% | 0.7 | 119 | 76% | A |
| New Braintree | 18% | 0.1 | 1,065 | 64% | B+ |
| North Brookfield | 16% | 0.2 | 203 | 77% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Brookfield
Where can I hike in West Brookfield?
The longest trail networks: Rock House Reservation, 2.8 miles; Pynchon's Grist Mill, 1.4 miles; Quaboag Wildlife Management Area, 0.6 miles; Coy Hill Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Brookfield is conserved land?
24% 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 West Brookfield’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Rock House Reservation. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Brookfield?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near West Brookfield?
40,379 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Brookfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,943 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Brookfield have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #234 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 West Brookfield 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 →