Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.027% of Westerly’s land is conserved: 5,142 acres
55 miles of mapped trail cross Westerly, 1.9 per square mile of land. 385 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #12 of 38 in Rhode Island. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Westerly?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Westerly have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westerly is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #12 of 38 in Rhode Island. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Rhode Island towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Westerly’s 27% is ahead of 76% of Rhode Island towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% of them.
Water is more than half of Westerly’s area (45 of 74 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cimalore Field
All 10 parks & preserves
5,142 conserved acres
27% of Westerly’s land. Water is left out: Westerly has 29.5 square miles of land and 45.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Westerly’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 956 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 116 of 170 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Hill Management Area State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 734 | Unknown |
| Pawcatuck River Private Conservation | Not recorded | 429 | Unknown |
| Shelter Harbor Golf Club Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 356 | Unknown |
| Crandall, Crandall, Crandall Private Conservation | Not recorded | 300 | Unknown |
| Crandall Swamp Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 266 | Unknown |
| Crandall Swamp Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 223 | Unknown |
| Winnapaug Pond State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 210 | Unknown |
| Wellhead Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 88 | Unknown |
| Bradford Road Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 83 | Unknown |
| Newton Swamp Management Area State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
23 places to go in Westerly
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
15 more trails
4.5 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.
14 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 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
2 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Westerly: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 40 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 74 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Westerly →
Westerly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly | 27% | 1.9 | 17 | 73% | A |
| Hopkinton | 20% | 1.2 | 169 | 32% | A |
| Bradford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ashaway | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Charlestown | 35% | 1.6 | 341 | 40% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Westerly
Where can I hike in Westerly?
The longest trail networks: Wilcox Park, 0.1 miles; Rotary Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westerly is conserved land?
27% of its land, against a typical 19% for a Rhode Island town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Westerly’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Wilcox Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Westerly?
4.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Westerly?
11,113 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westerly or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 850 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westerly have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 of 38 in Rhode Island. 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 Westerly 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 →