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Upton State Forest
4.6 ★★★★★ 314 Google reviews · Running trail in Upton, Massachusetts · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Natural surface
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Upton State Forest's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Woodland park with Great Depression heritage including trails for hiking, skiing, riding & bikes.
What runners say about Upton State Forest
“Easy to follow trails and a clean clear path with good parking and a restroom!”
“Many miles of beautiful forest trails, scenic pond, can hike all the way to Whitehall Reservoir.”
“Easy to follow trails and a clean clear path with good parking and a restroom!”
“Such a beautiful park lots of old growth white pine forest trees 🌳 ❤ very peaceful and quiet”
“One of my favorite spots to walk, great rails for dog walking horse riding and bikes!”
Upton State Forest is an amazing place to hike, run, bike, walk your dog....feels like you are in the far northern woods in a quiet serine place. The park road/Loop road hike is a nice 5K loop. Clockwise you have "half mile hill" about 2M into the loop.
Nice place to bring your dogs and let them run around off leash. They also have a pond that a lot of dogs like to swim in. Park is clean with many trails.
This place is great. I went for the first time recently with a friend and had a great hike. There's some very cool swamp areas of which I took some pictures of. We finished up the hike by taking the Whistling Cave trail. It was a good workout due to the incline, and good for cardio.
This was my first visit to Upton State Forest. There were two parking areas. One was just outside what appeared to be the forest headquarters. There you will find one porta-potty. There's a walking path that leads to another parking lot. Both provide plenty of parking. This State Forest has unpaved roads and trails.
Trail conditions & character
“While you walk on the trails you may meet, hikers, bikers, joggers, and horseback riding as well as people walking their dogs.”
“Easy to follow trails and a clean clear path with good parking and a restroom!”
“Many miles of beautiful forest trails, scenic pond, can hike all the way to Whitehall Reservoir.”
“Fairly hilly area so if you choose to bike or even hike, be ready to ascend and descend a bit, keep that head on a swivel, and most importantly enjoy your time!”
“Such a beautiful park lots of old growth white pine forest trees 🌳 ❤ very peaceful and quiet”
“Want to do single track trails?”
“Narrow light traffic roads with gorgeous houses, flowers, and natural scenery!”
“Easy to follow trails and a clean clear path with good parking and a restroom!”
Plan your run at Upton State Forest
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceNatural surface — easiest on the joints and the most fun, but expect roots, rocks and mud after rain
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- LightingRunners report lights on the path — useful for pre-dawn and after-work miles. Lighting and opening hours are separate things, so check both.
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websitemass.gov
- Phone(508) 278-6486
Hours
| Monday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Thursday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Friday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Saturday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Sunday | 6:30 AM–6:30 PM |
Running trails near Upton
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Hidden Meadow Trail
Bowman Conservation Area
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Hiking, walking, and trail-walking, scenic locale featuring trails through green space, plus picnic tables and ponds.
Westborough Minuteman Park
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Park with a trail around the lake, as well as picnic benches.
Woods
4.1 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews