Photo: D-Day · CC BY-SA 3.0Boston has 12 miles of mapped trails, 0.3 for every square mile of land
42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 65 acres are parks and preserves, 8.2 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Boston’s land is conserved, about 803 acres.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #622 of 758 in New York. What drives it
How much outdoors does Boston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Boston is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #622 of 758 in New York. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
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 Boston Town Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Boston Stadium
803 conserved acres
3% of Boston’s land. Who manages Boston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 51 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 695 | Restricted |
| Boston Town Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 42 | Open |
| Town Of Boston Land Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Unknown |
| North Boston Park (David Finger Memorial Field) State Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Creekside Court Park State Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Boston Town Lands Local Resource Management Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Boston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 named trail
3.7 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 Boston: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 79 | 78 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Boston →
Boston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 3% | 0.3 | 8 | 42% | C+ |
| Orchard Park | 6% | 0.6 | 63 | 88% | A− |
| Colden | 1% | 0.2 | 7 | 8% | C− |
| Eden | 4% | 0.3 | 39 | 34% | B− |
| Hamburg | 6% | 0.5 | 28 | 94% | A− |
| Concord | 3% | 0.3 | 84 | 58% | B |
| North Boston | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Collins | 4% | 0.2 | 136 | 46% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Boston
Where can I hike in Boston?
The longest trail networks: Boston Town Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Boston is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Boston’s trails?
Boston Town Park and North Boston Stadium don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Boston?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Boston?
9,760 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Boston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 65 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Boston have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #622 of 758 in New York. 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 Boston 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 →