Vining Lake Community Preserve
Managed by Downeast Coastal Conservancy
179 acres1.4 mi of trail
Connector TrailLake View TrailLoop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
–Not graded
Outdoors in Cooper
Few parks or trails are on the map in Cooper
The biggest trail networks: Vining Lake Community Preserve (1.4 mi), Reynolds Family Forest (1.3 mi). 23% of Cooper’s land is conserved, about 4,533 acres. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Cooper, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
23%
4,533 acres · of 30.7 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
712 ft
Cooper Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
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 Vining Lake Community Preserve, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Reynolds Family Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
971 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,533 conserved acres
23% of Cooper’s land. Water is left out: Cooper has 30.7 square miles of land and 1.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Cooper’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,690 ac
Joint2,211 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government971 ac
Other state land360 ac
Not recorded1,378 ac
Unknown Easement · 6,097 acConservation Easement · 3,195 acPrivate Conservation · 1,378 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 581 acState Other or Unknown · 360 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,215 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennys River Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,565 | Unknown |
| Deep Cove Preserve (N) Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 492 | Closed |
| Vining Lake Private Conservation | Not recorded | 172 | Unknown |
| Gilman Dam Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 89 | Closed |
Things to do
2 places to go in Cooper
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Cooper
Cooper Hill712 ft elevation
DirectionsPineo Mountain630 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.3 mi
Connector Trail0.6 mi
Lake View Trail0.3 mi
Loop Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Cooper: 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 57 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.1 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Cooper →
Next door
Cooper and its neighbors
Cooper has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Charlotte | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Meddybemps | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alexander | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cooper
Where can I hike in Cooper?
The longest trail networks: Vining Lake Community Preserve, 1.4 miles; Reynolds Family Forest, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Cooper’s trails?
Vining Lake Community Preserve and Reynolds Family Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cooper?
3,905 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cooper or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Cooper 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 →