Hale Reservation
Nature preserve
502 acres10.7 mi of trail
Peacock Ridge TrailHighway to Hell
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Colburn School-High Street Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Westwood
Westwood has 28 miles of mapped trails, 2.6 for every square mile of land
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 18% of Westwood’s land is conserved, about 1,229 acres. 1,175 acres are parks and preserves, 72 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #78 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,229 acres · of 10.9 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
2.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,175 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.5 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 1.0 mi paths
Highest peak
341 ft
High Rock
Lakes & rivers
7
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Westwood?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Westwood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westwood is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #78 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 Westwood’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,175 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home99% 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 Westwood’s 18% is ahead of 34% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 68% of them.
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 Hale Reservation, with 10.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lowell Woods
Nature preserve
248 acres4.6 mi of trail
Pine Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Currier Reservation
Nature preserve
29 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Martha Jones Conservation Land
Nature preserve
27 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shuttleworth Land
Nature preserve
28 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
The Pitts Conservation Land
Nature preserve
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 36 parks & preserves
Hale Reservation502 acres · 10.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLowell Woods248 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSen Ki29 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCurrier Reservation29 acres · 1 mi of trail
Martha Jones Conservation Land27 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsDeerfield School Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsShuttleworth Land28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
The Pitts Conservation Land8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMcfarland Cr (Clapboardtree St)22 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMcfarland Cr22 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Rice Reservation45 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRock Meadow Brook Conservation Land30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Brook Reservation14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Westwood Conservation Commission
Germany Brook Conservation Land12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsReimer Property7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
University Station Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBuckmaster Pond Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHale Education531 acres
Pheasant Hill Park19 acres
Blue Hill Vista13 acres
DirectionsO'Toole Conservation Area12 acres
DirectionsDraper Avenue Conservation Land6 acres
Lake Shore Conservation Land6 acres
Wentworth Conservation Area5 acres
DirectionsBlue Hill Girl Scout Land5 acres
Seavey Conservation Land4 acres
Dedham Town Forest3 acres
Coach Lane Conservation Land3 acres
R.C. Morrison Park3 acres
DirectionsHaslam Pond3 acres
Perry Crouse Pond Conservation Land3 acres
Crouse Sisters2 acres
The School Street Playground2 acres
DirectionsGables Park2 acres
DirectionsNeponset River Reservation1 acres · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDeviney1 acres
Who protects it
1,229 conserved acres
18% of Westwood’s land. Who manages Westwood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits314 ac
Town or city277 ac
State parks2 ac
Not recorded834 ac
Private Conservation · 470 acConservation Easement · 315 acLocal Other or Unknown · 279 acLocal Conservation Area · 116 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 105 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 182 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 81 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hale Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 470 | Restricted |
| Dedham Country and Polo Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 61 | Restricted |
| Sandy Valley Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Mcfarland Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Norfolk Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Restricted |
| Grimm Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Westwood Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Currier/Anderson Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Martha Jones Road Recreational Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Open |
| Westwood Senior High School Athletic Fields Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Westwood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Westwood
North BeachIn Hale Reservation
DirectionsSouth BeachIn Hale Reservation
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Westwood
June Street Playground
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Westwood
High Rock341 ft elevation
DirectionsPheasant Hill315 ft elevation
DirectionsFox Hill312 ft elevation
DirectionsTwin Pine Hill289 ft elevation
DirectionsPeaked Rock285 ft elevation
DirectionsCat Rock269 ft elevation · In Hale Reservation
DirectionsEverett Hill187 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.0 miUnpaved · 10.1 mi
Peacock Ridge Trail0.6 mi
Highway to Hell0.5 mi
Pine Hill Trail0.3 mi
Germany Brook Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
6.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
17Tennis
13Baseball
13Soccer
9Basketball
3Football
2Softball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
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 Westwood: 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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Westwood →
Next door
Westwood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood | 18% | 2.6 | 72 | 99% | A+ |
| Walpole | 18% | 2.4 | 75 | 88% | A+ |
| Canton | 32% | 2.4 | 125 | 98% | A+ |
| Norwood | 10% | 1.1 | 16 | 99% | A |
| Dedham | 22% | 2.0 | 43 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Needham | 24% | 3.7 | 47 | 99% | A+ |
| Dover | 39% | 5.1 | 530 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Westwood
Where can I hike in Westwood?
The longest trail networks: Hale Reservation, 10.7 miles; Lowell Woods, 4.6 miles; Sen Ki, 1.2 miles; Currier Reservation, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westwood 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 Westwood’s trails?
Hale Reservation and Lowell Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Westwood?
8.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes, 1.0 of off-road paths and 6.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Westwood?
55,846 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westwood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,181 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westwood have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Westwood 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 →