The cemetery's primary topographical features are two knolls, which flank the main entrance.

The street-facing front and parts of the sides of the cemetery are lined by a stone wall that is probably of 19th century origin.

A chain link fence is mounted on the wall, and encircles the rest of the property.

The cemetery has no paved lanes, although early 20th century maps show a rectilinear grid of them.

[2] Media related to South Burying Ground (Newton, Massachusetts) at Wikimedia Commons