Herb Hadfield Conservation Area
Nature preserve
184 acres2.3 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailYellow TrailGreen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Paul Cuffe Farm · Photo: Cortikal · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Westport
23% of Westport’s land is conserved: 7,180 acres
2,583 acres are parks and preserves, 157 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Herb Hadfield Conservation Area (2.3 mi), Dunham's Brook Conservation Area (2 mi), Westport Woods (2 mi). 21 miles of mapped trail cross Westport, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #247 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
7,180 acres · of 49.8 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,583 ac
157 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
4.1 mi lanes
Highest peak
164 ft
Nootas Hill
Lakes & rivers
13
35 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Westport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Westport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westport is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #247 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Westport’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land157 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,583 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home68% 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 86%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 13%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Westport’s 23% is ahead of 54% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 4% of them.
Water is 23% of Westport’s area (15 of 65 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.
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 Herb Hadfield Conservation Area, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dunham's Brook Conservation Area
Nature preserve
151 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Westport Woods
Nature preserve
82 acres2 mi of trail
Yellow TrailBlue TrailOrange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Headwaters Conservation Area
Nature preserve
145 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Headwaters Conservation Area
Old Harbor Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
98 acres1.2 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow TrailGreen Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
The Let Conservation Area
Nature preserve
62 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Westport Town Farm
Nature preserve
40 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Horseneck Beach State Reservation
Nature preserve
433 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 44 parks & preserves
Herb Hadfield Conservation Area184 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDunham's Brook Conservation Area151 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsWestport Woods82 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsHeadwaters Conservation Area145 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Harbor Wildlife Refuge98 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Let Conservation Area62 acres · 1 mi of trail
Westport Town Farm40 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHorseneck Beach State Reservation433 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNoquochoke Conservation Area21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCamara Conservation Area38 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Forge Pond Conservation Area11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBrookside Conservation Area7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Pond Conservation Area7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Ram Island80 acres
Seafarers Parcel56 acres
Adult Softball Field42 acres
Washington Street Parcel25 acres
Horseneck Farm Cr20 acres
Borden-Brayton Property15 acres
Houghtelinct Conservation Land14 acres
Town Forest11 acres
DirectionsGunning Island11 acres
Gray Property9 acres
Briggs Road Parcel8 acres
Craig Cr8 acres
Big Pine Island8 acres
Wlct Conservation Land7 acres
Jiggs Street Parcel5 acres
Horeseneck Road Parcel4 acres
Highland Avenue Parcel4 acres
Lower Spectacle Island3 acres
Nancy Boulevard Parcel3 acres
Brayton Property2 acres
Dartmoor Farm Wildlife Management Area1 acres
Biszko Property1 acres
Rodgers Property1 acres
Reed Road Conservation Area1 acres
Bigelow Land1 acres
Becker Property1 acres
Edgemore Park1 acres
Little Island1 acres
Rose Ave/Nancy Blvd Parcel1 acres
Gifford Land1 acres
Fitch Land1 acres
Who protects it
7,180 conserved acres
23% of Westport’s land. Water is left out: Westport has 49.8 square miles of land and 14.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Westport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land3,981 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,754 ac
Town or city794 ac
Joint422 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)346 ac
Private owners89 ac
State natural resources55 ac
Agricultural Easement · 4,318 acConservation Easement · 3,448 acPrivate Conservation · 1,087 acState Park · 808 acLocal Other or Unknown · 388 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,104 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 36 of 461 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseneck Beach State Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 808 | Open |
| Fall River Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 161 | Closed |
| Headwaters Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 144 | Open |
| Fall River Rod And Gun Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 143 | Restricted |
| Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 121 | Unknown |
| Devol Pond State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 107 | Open |
| Old Wild Harbor Refuge Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 97 | Unknown |
| Horseneck Point Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 93 | Open |
| Big Ram Island Private Conservation | Not recorded | 88 | Open |
| Latorella Properties Private Conservation | Not recorded | 80 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Westport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Westport
East Horseneck Beach
DirectionsHorseneck Beach
Directions35 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Westport
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Westport
Westport River Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Westport
Nootas Hill164 ft elevation
DirectionsSherman Hill161 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Westport
Horseneck Beach CampgroundIn Horseneck Beach State Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 5.8 mi
Red Trail2.5 mi
Blue Trail2.0 mi
Yellow Trail1.5 mi
Green Trail0.6 mi
Orange Trail0.3 mi
Pine Forest Loop0.3 mi
South Trail0.1 mi
North Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
21Tennis
4Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Westport: 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 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
July is the driest month (3.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Westport →
Next door
Westport 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport | 23% | 0.4 | 157 | 68% | A |
| Dartmouth | 29% | 1.0 | 169 | 84% | A+ |
| North Westport | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fall River | 44% | 2.9 | 23 | 81% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Westport
Where can I hike in Westport?
The longest trail networks: Herb Hadfield Conservation Area, 2.3 miles; Dunham's Brook Conservation Area, 2 miles; Westport Woods, 2 miles; Headwaters Conservation Area, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westport is conserved land?
23% 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 Westport’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Old Harbor Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Westport?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Westport?
28,752 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,004 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westport have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #247 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 Westport 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 →