The Essex County Trail Association maintains an interactive map of conservation areas and other hiking trails in Essex County. The Essex County Greenbelt is a regional land trust that has protected over 15,000 acres of land in Essex County, including the following areas accessible to the public. The Trustees of Reservations own several properties in Ipswich with miles of trails. The Ipswich Open Space program includes several properties with trails. The state owns hundreds of acres of open land in Ipswich and the surrounding area, including Willowdale State Forest, Bradley Palmer State Park, and Sandy Point State Reservation.
Appleton Farms, County Rd. Ipswich. Trails from the Visitor Center connect with Appleton Farms Grass Rides in Hamilton. Appleton Farms trail map
Bay Circuit Trail, Boxford, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Newburyport. Trail map for the Ipswich-Rowley section of the Bay Circuit Trail
Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield Rd., Ipswich Wintrhop Rd. Hamilton, Asbury St., Topsfield. Download Willowdale and Bradley Palmer trail map . Download Trail map for Bradley Palmer SP.
Crane Beach and Castle Neck, Argilla Rd. Ipswich. Over 6 miles of trails through the dunes and around the Castle, plus several miles of beach to walk on. Castle Hill area trail map
Daniel Boone Park, Top of Spring Street on Town Hill in Ipswich.
Dow Brook Conservation Area, Dow/Bull Brook Reservoirs, High St., Ipswich. A three-mile hike begins at Veterans recreational field on Mile Lane near Linebrook Road in Ipswich or near White Farms Ice Cream on High St.
Hamlin Reservation, Argilla Rd., Ipswich A mile long trail takes you to a wooded coastal island.
Hood Pond, Linebrook Rd., Ipswich. 100 acre pond crossed by the Bay Circuit Trail, Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation.
Julia Bird Reservation, Waldingfield Rd., Ipswich adjacent to Appleton Farm, it is part of an extensive network of protected open space along the Ipswich River.
Linebrook Woods Conservation Area, 275 Linebrook Rds., Ipswich next to Marini Farms. A 78-acre parcel of wooded uplands and wetlands, with trails extending north to the town watershed lands trail network, and to the south into Willowdale State Forest.
New England Biolabs trails, Public trails in the former Proctor Estate along the Miles River.
Nichols Field, 60 Labor in Vain Rd., Ipswich. A 15-acre parcel of open fields and woods adjacent to the Ipswich River.
Riverbend, Ipswich River Watershed Association. Trail loop from the headquarters down to the Ipswich River.
Ross Property, Open Space program property off of Paradise Rd., Ipswich.
Sally Weatherall Saltmarsh & Viewing Platform
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island (accessible by Newburyport). Located at the southern tip of Plum Island, Sandy Point stretches 77 acres. It features a beautiful coastal beach great for swimming and sunbathing.
Shady Creek Conservation Area, Colonial Acres, Topsfield Rd. Located at the end of the cul-de-sac on Colonial Drive, a 44-acre parcel of wooded uplands and wetlands along the Ipswich River. This area has limited trail access and no river access.
Sidney Shurcliff River Walk, Ipswich. A pleasant short walk along the Ipswich River from the County St. bridge to Town Hall at Water St.
Steep Hill and Cedar Point, Crane Estate, Argilla Rd.
Strawberry Hill, Jeffreys Neck Rd., Ipswich. Llocated at 56 Jeffreys Neck Road, a 91-acre parcel of open fields and marsh adjacent to the Eagle Hill River. Across Jeffreys Neck Road from The Trustees of Reservations Greenwood Farms property is also open to the public.
Willowdale Meadow. Topsfield Rd., Ipswich. One of several starting points for walks through Willowdale State Forest East. The property is an old meadow with some single track
Willowdale State Forest, 40 miles of trails. The East side on Topsfield and Linebrook Rd. connects to Hood Pond, Willowdale West.
Harold Parker State Forest. Miles of trails and mountain biking between Middleton and Andover.