18% of Woods Hole’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. 18% of Woods Hole’s land is conserved, about 240 acres. 36 acres are parks and preserves, 36 per 1,000 residents.
What kind of outdoors town is Woods Hole?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Taft's Playground, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
240 conserved acres
18% of Woods Hole’s land. Water is left out: Woods Hole has 2.1 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Woods Hole’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 89 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woods Hole Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 112 | Restricted |
| Shining Sea Bikeway Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 14 | Open |
| Woods Hole Ball Park Local Park | Not recorded | 11 | Open |
| Oyster Pond Rd Private Conservation | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Nobska Rd Private Conservation | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
| Trunk River Beach Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
| Stoney Beach Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
| Quissett Harbor Access Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
64 places to go in Woods Hole
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
47 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
1.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Woods Hole: 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 | 41 | 46 | 55 | 65 | 74 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 63 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (2.9 in) and the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Woods Hole →
Woods Hole 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woods Hole | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Falmouth | 28% | 5.0 | 203 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Gosnold | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Woods Hole
Where can I hike in Woods Hole?
The longest trail networks: Taft's Playground, 0.1 miles; WHOI - Rose Garden, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Woods Hole’s trails?
Taft's Playground and WHOI - Rose Garden don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Woods Hole?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Woods Hole?
18,609 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Woods Hole or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 68 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Woods Hole neighbors.
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 →