Cardigan Reservation
Managed by Appalachian Mountain Club
1,151 acres9.4 mi of trail
Back 80 TrailManning TrailDukes Ski TrailAlleyway+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Cardigan Lodge
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Alexandria
17% of Alexandria’s land is conserved: 4,671 acres
180 acres are parks and preserves, 91 per 1,000 residents. 55 miles of mapped trail cross Alexandria, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cardigan Reservation (9.4 mi), Cardigan Mountain State Forest (7.1 mi), Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area (3.8 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
4,671 acres · of 43.1 sq mi of land
Trails
55 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
180 ac
91 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,362 ft
Mowglis Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Alexandria?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alexandria have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alexandria is ahead of 80% 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 Alexandria’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (55 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land91 acres of park per 1,000 residents (180 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home14% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Alexandria’s 17% is ahead of 44% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Cardigan Reservation, with 9.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cardigan Mountain State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
977 acres7.1 mi of trail
Clark TrailVistamont TrailHolt TrailKimball Ski Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area
Managed by Lakes Region Conservation Trust
390 acres3.8 mi of trail
Elwell Trail (Yellow)Backwoods Trail (Blue)Around the Pond Trail (Red)Goose Pond Trail (Green)+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Welton Falls State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
218 acres1.6 mi of trail
Lower Manning Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Cardigan Lodge
Wellington State Park
Park
116 acres1.4 mi of trail
Goose Pond Trail (Orange)Elwell Trail (Yellow)Around the Pond Trail (Red)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Forest Legacy Tract
Nature preserve
750 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Cardigan Reservation1,151 acres · 9.4 mi of trail · Appalachian Mountain Club
DirectionsCardigan Mountain State Forest977 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area390 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Welton Falls State Forest218 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
DirectionsWellington State Park116 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsForest Legacy Tract750 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Alexandria Town Forest53 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Victor's Woods80 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Catterall Forest31 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Mihovan Preserve30 acres · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Barrett Park17 acres · Town of Alexandria
Sudrabin Forest1 acres · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Who protects it
4,671 conserved acres
17% of Alexandria’s land. Who manages Alexandria’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,034 ac
State natural resources1,781 ac
Other state land926 ac
Not recorded1,655 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,008 acPrivate Conservation · 1,247 acState Resource Management Area · 1,235 acUnknown Easement · 576 acForest Stewardship Easement · 151 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,010 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 17 of 26 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardigan Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,139 | Unknown |
| Cardigan Mountain State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,011 | Unknown |
| Welton Falls State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 225 | Unknown |
| Wellington State Park State Park | Not recorded | 116 | Unknown |
| Victor's Woods Private Conservation | Not recorded | 80 | Unknown |
| Pitman Town Forest Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 46 | Unknown |
| Catterall Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 26 | Unknown |
| A.B.P Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Sudrabin Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
36 places to go in Alexandria
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Alexandria
Elizabeth FallsIn Cardigan Mountain State Forest
DirectionsWelton FallsIn Welton Falls State Forest
DirectionsPeaks in Alexandria
Mowglis Mountain2,362 ft elevation
DirectionsOregon Mountain2,221 ft elevation
DirectionsChurch Mountain2,201 ft elevation
DirectionsBrown Mountain2,178 ft elevation
DirectionsForbes Mountain2,159 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill2,090 ft elevation
DirectionsHutchins Hill2,064 ft elevation · In Forest Legacy Tract
DirectionsSpruce Ridge2,051 ft elevation
Directions11 more peaks
Bailey Hill1,503 ft elevation
DirectionsSugarloaf1,348 ft elevation · In Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area
DirectionsAlexander Hill1,253 ft elevation
DirectionsPillsbury Hill1,201 ft elevation
DirectionsGordon Hill1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsPlumer Hill1,043 ft elevation
DirectionsSimmons Ledges1,020 ft elevation
DirectionsPattee Hill909 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Sugarloaf906 ft elevation · In Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area
DirectionsLittle Gordon Hill896 ft elevation
DirectionsMerrill Hill820 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Alexandria
Clark Brook CampsiteIn Cardigan Reservation · Appalachian Mountain Club
DirectionsPlus 14 campgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 24.9 mi
Woodland Trail2.5 mi
Back 80 Trail2.0 mi
Manning Trail2.0 mi
Elwell Trail (Yellow)1.8 mi
Clark Trail1.6 mi
Dukes Ski Trail1.4 mi
Lower Manning Trail1.4 mi
Holt Trail1.3 mi
Kimball Ski Trail1.2 mi
Vistamont Trail1.1 mi
15 more trails
Alleyway
1.1 miSkyland Trail
1.0 miGoose Pond Trail (Orange)
0.9 miAround the Pond Trail (Red)
0.8 miBackwoods Trail (Blue)
0.7 miBack 80 Loop
0.6 miAlexandria Ski Trail
0.6 miClark Trail; Woodland Trail
0.6 miCathedral Forest Trail
0.5 miGoose Pond Trail (Green)
0.4 miBailey Brook Ski Trail
0.4 miNature Trail
0.4 miBrook Trail (White)
0.3 miGale Road East
0.3 miGoose Pond Loop Link (Red)
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Alexandria: May, August and 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 51 | 64 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 55 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Alexandria →
Next door
Alexandria and its neighbors
Alexandria has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | 17% | 1.3 | 91 | 14% | A− |
| Hill | 31% | 1.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Orange | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bristol | 8% | 0.7 | 44 | 40% | B+ |
| Hebron | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Danbury | 11% | 0.8 | 16 | 5% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Alexandria
Where can I hike in Alexandria?
The longest trail networks: Cardigan Reservation, 9.4 miles; Cardigan Mountain State Forest, 7.1 miles; Sugarloaf Ridge-Goose Pond Conservation Area, 3.8 miles; Welton Falls State Forest, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alexandria is conserved land?
17% of its land, against a typical 19% for a New Hampshire town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Alexandria’s trails?
Cardigan Reservation and Cardigan Mountain State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Alexandria?
14,150 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alexandria or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 594 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Alexandria have?
Ahead of 80% 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 Alexandria 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 →