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Academy Historic DistrictAcademy Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilbraham

Wilbraham has 39 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land

1,925 acres are parks and preserves, 132 per 1,000 residents. 17% of Wilbraham’s land is conserved, about 2,455 acres. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.

Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #95 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Conserved land
17%
2,455 acres · of 22.0 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,925 ac
132 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi lanes
Highest peak
922 ft
Mount Chapin
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch

What kind of outdoors town is Wilbraham?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

A trail town1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 92% of U.S. towns.Room to roam132 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild17% of the land is conserved; a typical Massachusetts town, 21%.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Wilbraham have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilbraham is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #95 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs put Wilbraham near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wilbraham’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land132 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,925 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% 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 67%

Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Wilbraham’s 17% is ahead of 33% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% 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.

1234567
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 Wilbraham Wildlife Area, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Wilbraham Wildlife Area

Nature preserve
141 acres4.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Rice Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
140 acres2.6 mi of trail
UnderpeakHighmoorRachael PhelpsTom Leary+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

White Cedar Swamp

Nature preserve
181 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Hardwood Hill

Nature preserve
27 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Sunrise Peak Conservation Area

Nature preserve
64 acres0.8 mi of trail
Switchback TrailSunrise
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Thayer Brook Conservation Area

Nature preserve
156 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Spectacle Pond

Park
41 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Wilbraham Wildlife Area141 acres · 4.1 mi of trail
Directions
Rice Nature Preserve140 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Directions
White Cedar Swamp181 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Hardwood Hill27 acres · 1 mi of trail
Directions
Sunrise Peak Conservation Area64 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Thayer Brook Conservation Area156 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Spectacle Pond41 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Crane Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
The Preserve84 acres
Twelve Mile Brook Conservation Area80 acres
Pesky Serpent Conservation Area64 acres
Wandering Meadows Estates Conservation Area29 acres
Mill Pond Conservation Area23 acres
Red Bridge State Park17 acres
Directions
Old Spring Hill17 acres
Ester Heffner Bird Sanctuary17 acres
Indian Ridge14 acres
Towokos Conservation Area10 acres · Town of Wilbraham
Bruver Pond8 acres
Directions
Woodland Park Cons. Area6 acres
Knox Trail Park5 acres
Directions
Hallahan Acq.1 acres
Labelle Dr. Conservation Area1 acres
Gazebo Park1 acres
Directions
Who protects it

2,455 conserved acres

17% of Wilbraham’s land. Who manages Wilbraham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Town or city661 ac
Private owners362 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits272 ac
Other state land213 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)87 ac
Not recorded1,443 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,479 acConservation Easement · 562 acAgricultural Easement · 300 acResearch or Educational Area · 278 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 175 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 307 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 106 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded281Open
White Cedar Swamp Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded221Open
Country Club Of Wilbraham
Local Other or Unknown
Private owners181Unknown
Wilbraham & Monson Academy Athletic Fields
Private Other or Unknown
Not recorded175Unknown
Thayer Brook Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded149Open
Rice Nature Preserve
Local Conservation Area
Town or city140Restricted
Minnechaug Regional High School Athletic Fields
Research or Educational Area
Not recorded138Open
Wilbraham Middle School
Research or Educational Area
Not recorded120Open
The Preserve At Bellows
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city94Open
Twelve Mile Brook Conservation Area
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city80Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

14 places to go in Wilbraham

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in Wilbraham
Mount Chapin922 ft elevation
Directions
Mount Marcy922 ft elevation
Directions
Wigwam Hill876 ft elevation
Directions
Rattlesnake Peak784 ft elevation · In Rice Nature Preserve
Directions
Trails & water

9 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 27.7 mi
South Trail0.9 mi
Sunrise0.7 mi
Underpeak0.6 mi
Switchback Trail0.6 mi
North Trail0.5 mi
Highmoor0.5 mi
Rachael Phelps0.4 mi
Tom Leary0.3 mi
Meadow Connector0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Bennett PondpondNinemile PondSpectacle PondpondChicopee RiverChicopee River Reservoir
Biking & sports

1.6 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
Courts & fields
17Soccer
15Baseball
8Tennis
7Pickleball
3Basketball
3Football
1Softball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

1 place 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.

History →
Academy Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Wilbraham: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.410.511.813.314.615.215.013.912.411.09.79.1
High (°F)353847607179848275635140
Rain (in)3.22.73.63.63.54.24.14.24.24.53.33.9

February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wilbraham →

Next door

Wilbraham and its neighbors

Wilbraham has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Ludlow44 miWilbraham39 miHampden22 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Wilbraham17%1.813298%A+
Ludlow24%1.610377%A+
Hampden13%1.116754%A

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Wilbraham

Where can I hike in Wilbraham?

The longest trail networks: Wilbraham Wildlife Area, 4.1 miles; Rice Nature Preserve, 2.6 miles; White Cedar Swamp, 2.1 miles; Hardwood Hill, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Wilbraham is conserved land?

17% 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 Wilbraham’s trails?

Wilbraham Wildlife Area and Rice Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Wilbraham?

1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes.

Is there public land near Wilbraham?

38,467 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilbraham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,003 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Wilbraham have?

Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 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 Wilbraham neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →