How to Access Nature in Every City and Town in Massachusetts
Over the last several months, I have been gathering information about at least one natural area in every city or town across Massachusetts. It is the very reason why I created Nature Near Me! I want everyone to be inspired to seek out nature near them in whatever way possible. While I have not visited all of these places, I hope naming at least one place in every Massachusetts city or town inspires you to find magic in these places where you live or visit.
Have you visited any of these places?
Share your favorite insight about them in the comments!
First, some important housekeeping tidbits…
for safety, please keep the following things in mind …always:
Do further research on these natural areas to make sure they are not outside your ability to navigate.
Do not travel alone! Bring friends and consider sharing your location via the Google Maps app.
Research if there is a cell signal in the area and plan accordingly.
Know the hours of the location you are going, if it applies.
Be savvy about supplies and comfort. For instance, bring water, snacks, compass, sneakers, etc.
It can be especially intimidating for women, folks of color, and the LGBT+ community to venture into natural areas alone or as a group…especially in unfamiliar areas and if the locations are unstaffed. Please research the area you are traveling to if this is a concern you have. BE SAFE!
Consider volunteering with a local nature organization if this helps you feel safe while enjoying (and helping!) the natural areas in your area.
Lastly, immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural places you choose to go to. It is so important for, not only physical health, but also mental health. Take photos if you’d like, but also remember to view with your eyes and mind while unplugged, too.
Cities & Towns in Massachusetts that start with:
A
Abington
North and South Rivers Watershed Association (7 properties)
Acton
Acushnet
LaPalme Farm/Acushnet River Reserve
Adams
Agawam
Alford
Amesbury
Amherst
Andover
Ward Reservation & Boston Hill
Aquinnah
Arlington
Ashburnham
Ashby
Ashfield
Ashland
Athol
Millers River Environmental Center
Attleboro
Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary
Auburn
Avon
Ayer
B
Barnstable
Barnstable Great Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary
Sampsons Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Skunkett River Wildlife Sanctuary
Barre
Cook’s Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary
Becket
Becket Historic Quarry & Forest
Bedford
Belchertown
Bellingham
Arcand Park & Silver Lake Beach
Belmont
Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Berkley
Berlin
Bernardston
Beverly
Billerica
Blackstone
Blandford
Bolton
Boston
Boston Nature Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Bourne
Boxborough
Boxford
Boylston
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Braintree
Cranberry Pond Conservation Land
Brewster
Bridgewater
Brimfield
Brockton
Brookfield
Brookline
Buckland
Burlington
C
Cambridge
Magazine Beach Park Nature Center
Canton
Museum of American Bird Art Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Carlisle
Carver
Charlemont
Charlton
Chatham
Chelmsford
Russell Mill Pond and State Forest
Chelsea
Cheshire
Chester
Chesterfield
Chicopee
Chilmark
Clarksburg
PFC Peter A. Cook Veterans Memorial Park
Clinton
Cohasset
Colrain
Concord
Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary
Conway
Conway Hills Wildlife Sanctuary
Cummington
D
Dalton
Danvers
Dartmouth
Lloyd Center for the Environment
Dedham
Deerfield
Dennis
Dighton
Douglas
Dover
Dracut
Dudley
Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
Dunstable
Duxbury
E
East Bridgewater
East Brookfield
Podunk Wildlife Management Area
East Longmeadow
Fannie Stebbins Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary
Eastham
Easthampton
Easton
Edgartown
Egremont
Erving
Essex
Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate
Everett
F
Fairhaven
Fall River
Falmouth
Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary (East Falmouth)
Fitchburg
Florida
Dunbar Brook Trail Picnic Area
Foxborough
Framingham
Franklin
Freetown
G
Gardner
Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary
Georgetown
Lufkins Brook Conservation Area
Gill
Gloucester
Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary
Goshen
Gosnold
Grafton
Gummere Woods and Marsters Preserve Trail
Granby
Granville
Great Barrington
Greenfield
Griswold GTD Conservation Area
Groton
Groveland
H
Hadley
Halifax
Hamilton
Hampden
Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Hancock
MassWildlife’s Misery Mountain
Hanover
Hanson
Poor Meadow Brook Conservation Area
Hardwick
Harvard
Harwich
Thompson’s Field Conservation Area
Hatfield
Haverhill
Hawley
Heath
Betty Maitland Memorial Forest
Hingham
Hinsdale
Holbrook
Holden
Holland
Holliston
Holyoke
Hopedale
Hopkinton
Hubbardston
Hudson
Danforth Falls Conservation Land
Hull
Huntington
I-L
Ipswich
Kingston
Lakeville
Lancaster
Lanesborough
Lawrence
Lee
Leicester
Kettlebrook Conservation Area GWLT
Lenox
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
Leominster
Leverett
Lexington
Leyden
Lincoln
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Littleton
Longmeadow
Fannie Stebbins Memorial Wildlife Refuge
Lowell
Lowell National Historical Park
Ludlow
Ludlow Reservoir Shoreline Trail
Lunenburg
Lynn
Lynnfield
M
Malden
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Mansfield
Marblehead
Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Marion
East Over: Hales Brook and Sippican River
Marlborough
The Desert Natural Area Conservation Land
Marshfield
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary
North River Wildlife Sanctuary
Mashpee
Mattapoisett
Maynard
Medfield
Medford
Medway
Melrose
Mendon
Inman Hill Wildlife Conservation Area
Merrimac
Methuen
Middleborough
Middlefield
Middleton
Milford
Millbury
Martha Deering Wildlife Management Area
Millis
Millville
Milton
Monroe
Monson
Montague
North Street Wildlife Management Area
Monterey
Montgomery
Mount Washington
N
Nahant
Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary
Nantucket
Sesachacha Hearthlands Wildlife Sanctuary
Natick
Needham
New Ashford
New Bedford
Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens
New Braintree
New Marlborough
New Salem
Poor Farm Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Newbury
Newburyport
Newton
Norfolk
Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
North Adams
North Andover
Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens
North Attleboro
North Brookfield
North Reading
Northampton
Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area
Northborough
Carney Park/Cold Harbor Trails Area
Northbridge
Northfield
Norton
Norwell
Norwood
O
Oak Bluffs
Oakham
Orange
Orleans
Otis
Oxford
P-Q
Palmer
Midura Family Conservation Area
Paxton
Peabody
Sidney’s Pond Conservation Area
Pelham
Pembroke
Wildlands Trust - Willowbrook Farm
Pepperell
Peru
Dorothy Rice Wildlife Sanctuary
Petersham
Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Phillipston
Pittsfield
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Plainfield
West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary
Plainville
Wildlands Trust - Crystal Spring Preserve
Plymouth
Plympton
Princeton
Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
Provincetown
Quincy
R
Randolph
Raynham
Hewitts Pond Conservation Area
Reading
Rehoboth
Revere
Richmond
Tracy Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Rochester
Rockland
Rockport
Straitsmouth Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Rowe
Rowley
Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Royalston
Russell
Rutland
S
Salem
Salisbury
Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management
Sandisfield
Sandwich
Saugus
Northern Strand Community Trail
Savoy
Scituate
Seekonk
Arcade Woods Conservation Area
Sharon
Sheffield
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Shelburne
High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary
Sherborn
Shirley
Shrewsbury
Shutesbury
Somerset
Somerville
South Hadley
Southampton
Southborough
Southbridge
Thompson Family Forever Wild Preserve
Southwick
Spencer
Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary
Springfield
Sterling
Sterling Greenery Community Park
Stockbridge
Stoneham
Stoughton
Stow
Sturbridge
Sudbury
Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
Sunderland
Sutton
Swampscott
Swansea
T-U
Taunton
Templeton
Tewksbury
Pinnacle/Hospital Conservation Trail
Tisbury
Tolland
Richardson Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Townsend
Truro
Tyngsborough
Tyringham
Upton
Uxbridge
W-Y
Wakefield
Wales
Walpole
Waltham
Ware
Wareham
Warren
Warwick
Washington
Watertown
Wayland
Webster
Wellesley
Wellfleet
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Wendell
Wenham
West Boylston
West Bridgewater
Beaverton Woods Conservation Area
West Brookfield
West Newbury
West Springfield
West Stockbridge
West Tisbury
Westborough
Westfield
Westford
Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Westhampton
Lynes Woods Wildlife Sanctuary
Westminster
High Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Weston
Westport
Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary
Westwood
Weymouth
Whately
Whately Center Woods Nature Retreat
Whitman
Wilbraham
Rice Preserve/Sunrise Peak Trailwalk
Williamsburg
Graves Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Williamstown
Wilmington
Central Park Conservation Area
Winchendon
Winchester
Windsor
Winthrop
Woburn
Worcester
Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Worthington
Wrentham
Wollomonopoag Conservation Area
Yarmouth
NatureNearMe.Org assumes no liability for your visit to any of these places and this serves for information only. We encourage you to plan ahead for safety, health and any other reason before you visit these or any locations.
