James L. Goodwin State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,332 acres13.8 mi of trail
Goodwin Forest TrailHorse Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hampton
29% of Hampton’s land is conserved: 4,621 acres
39 miles of mapped trail cross Hampton, 1.6 per square mile of land. 159 acres are parks and preserves, 97 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: James L. Goodwin State Forest (13.8 mi), Natchaug State Forest (10 mi), Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary at Trail Wood (3.8 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
4,621 acres · of 25.1 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
159 ac
97 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
6.8 mi paths
Highest peak
787 ft
Sunset Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hampton is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hampton’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land97 acres of park per 1,000 residents (159 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13AParks close to home51% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Hampton’s 29% is ahead of 88% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is James L. Goodwin State Forest, with 13.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Natchaug State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,192 acres10 mi of trail
Natchaug Forest TrailCCC Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary at Trail Wood
Managed by Connecticut Audubon Society
152 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Maurice and Rita Edwards Preserve
Managed by Town of Hampton
53 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Windy Hill Road Open Space
Managed by Town of Hampton
65 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bigelow Howard Valley Game Club
Managed by Bigelow Howard Valley Game Club, Inc.
288 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Connecticut Park and Ride
All 16 parks & preserves
James L. Goodwin State Forest1,332 acres · 13.8 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsNatchaug State Forest1,192 acres · 10 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary at Trail Wood152 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Connecticut Audubon Society
DirectionsMaurice and Rita Edwards Preserve53 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Hampton
Windy Hill Road Open Space65 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Hampton
Bigelow Howard Valley Game Club288 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Bigelow Howard Valley Game Club, Inc.
DirectionsAirline State Park Trail (Northern Section)102 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsH. E. Preston Nature Sanctuary107 acres · Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Blue Flag Meadow96 acres · Wolf Den Land Trust
Rad Ostby Memorial Forest76 acres · Wolf Den Land Trust
Little River Wildlife Area48 acres · State of Connecticut
Hemphill Preserve43 acres · Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Stone Preserve17 acres · Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Fuller Preserve15 acres · Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Rock Spring Wildlife Refuge2 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Cohantic Ledges1 acres · Town of Hampton
Who protects it
4,621 conserved acres
29% of Hampton’s land. Who manages Hampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation655 ac
Other state land599 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits354 ac
Private owners158 ac
U.S. Forest Service55 ac
Town or city23 ac
Not recorded3,420 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,599 acConservation Easement · 1,170 acUnknown Easement · 599 acUnknown · 429 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 139 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,199 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 52 of 64 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchaug State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,422 | Unknown |
| James L. Goodwin State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,177 | Unknown |
| Grady Unknown | Not recorded | 268 | Unknown |
| Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 201 | Unknown |
| Town Open Space (windy Hill Road) 2 Parcels Local Park | Not recorded | 55 | Unknown |
| Little River Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Kilpatrick Unknown | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| Welch Unknown | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Red Otsby Preserve Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Unknown |
| Airline State Park Trail (Northern Section) State Park | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Hampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hampton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hampton
Hampton Reservoir Boat LaunchIn Natchaug State Forest
DirectionsPine Acres Lake Boat LaunchIn James L. Goodwin State Forest
DirectionsPine Acres Lake Boat LaunchIn James L. Goodwin State Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Hampton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hampton
Sunset Hill787 ft elevation
DirectionsKimball Hill758 ft elevation
DirectionsHampton Hill725 ft elevation
DirectionsShaw Hill722 ft elevation
DirectionsCherry Hill620 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hampton
Silvermine Horse CampIn Natchaug State Forest
DirectionsYouth Group Camping AreaIn James L. Goodwin State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.4 miHorses · 2.9 miUnpaved · 12.3 mi
Goodwin Forest Trail1.0 mi
Natchaug Forest Trail0.8 mi
Horse Trail0.3 mi
CCC Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hampton Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hampton: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hampton →
Next door
Hampton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 29% | 1.6 | 97 | 51% | A |
| Brooklyn | 9% | 0.2 | 14 | 39% | B− |
| Canterbury | 5% | 0.3 | 13 | 18% | C+ |
| Chaplin | 38% | 1.5 | 141 | 49% | A |
| Scotland | 33% | 0.7 | 12 | 12% | B |
| Pomfret | 33% | 1.0 | 250 | 32% | A |
| Eastford | 49% | 1.5 | 52 | 13% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hampton
Where can I hike in Hampton?
The longest trail networks: James L. Goodwin State Forest, 13.8 miles; Natchaug State Forest, 10 miles; Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary at Trail Wood, 3.8 miles; Maurice and Rita Edwards Preserve, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hampton is conserved land?
29% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Hampton’s trails?
James L. Goodwin State Forest and Natchaug State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hampton?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hampton?
5,624 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 160 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Hampton neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →