Bear Brook State Park
Nature preserve
6,709 acres47 mi of trail
Lowland TrailBroken Boulder TrailChipmunk TrailFerret Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Hayes Field Horse Trailer ParkingWebsite ↗
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Allenstown
More than half of Allenstown’s land is conserved: 56%
56% of Allenstown’s land is conserved, about 7,337 acres. 6,785 acres are parks and preserves, 1,430 per 1,000 residents. 62 miles of mapped trail cross Allenstown, 3.0 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
56%
7,337 acres · of 20.5 sq mi of land
Trails
62 mi
3.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,785 ac
1,430 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
833 ft
Bear Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Allenstown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild56% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.A trail town3.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 97% of U.S. towns.Room to roam1,430 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Allenstown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Allenstown is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 126 in New Hampshire. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Allenstown’s overall grade.
Conserved land56% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (62 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land1,430 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,785 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home87% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)#1 of 126
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Allenstown’s 56% is ahead of 98% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Bear Brook State Park, with 47 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pinkney Hill Preserve
Managed by Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
174 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Allenstown Town Forest
Managed by Town of Allenstown
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Bear Brook State Park6,709 acres · 47 mi of trail
DirectionsPinkney Hill Preserve174 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
Allenstown Town Forest19 acres · Town of Allenstown
Catamount Pond Recreation Area6 acres
DirectionsBridge Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
7,337 conserved acres
56% of Allenstown’s land. Who manages Allenstown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources6,697 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land234 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)225 ac
State fish & wildlife168 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
State conservation1 ac
Not recorded217 ac
State Conservation Area · 6,699 acConservation Easement · 628 acLocal Other or Unknown · 197 acLocal Resource Management Area · 19 acState Other or Unknown · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 422 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Brook State Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 6,697 | Unknown |
| Chester Turnpike 2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 96 | Unknown |
| Chester Turnpike 1 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Podunk Road 1 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Granite Street 2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
| Allenstown Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| Podunk Road 2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Granite Street 3 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Hinman Pond II State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2 | Restricted |
| Cold Spring Pond Dam Site - Allenstown State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Allenstown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Allenstown
Catamount Pond BeachIn Catamount Pond Recreation Area
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Allenstown
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Allenstown
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Allenstown
Cold Spring Pond
DirectionsPeaks in Allenstown
Bear Hill833 ft elevation · In Bear Brook State Park
DirectionsCatamount Hill719 ft elevation · In Bear Brook State Park
DirectionsPinkney Hill669 ft elevation · In Pinkney Hill Preserve
DirectionsCampgrounds in Allenstown
Suncook River Family Camp Resort
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 31.0 miHorses · 17.6 miUnpaved · 52.0 mi
Lowland Trail2.3 mi
Ferret Trail2.2 mi
Broken Boulder Trail2.2 mi
Chipmunk Trail2.1 mi
Bear Hill Trail1.8 mi
Hemlock Trail1.7 mi
Carr Ridge Trail1.5 mi
Bobcat Trail1.4 mi
Sentinel Pine Trail1.3 mi
Lane Trail1.3 mi
15 more trails
Camp Trail
1.3 miLittle Bear Trail
1.3 miPitch Pine Trail
1.3 miLedge Trail
1.3 miSalt Lick Trail
1.3 miOne-Mile Trail
1.2 miCatamount Trail
1.1 miBear Brook Upper Trail
1.1 miSquirrel Trail
1.1 miHayes Farm Trail
1.0 miCascade Trail
1.0 miHall Mountain Trail
0.9 miMoose Trail
0.8 miBig Bear Trail
0.7 miHall Mountain Marsh Trail
0.7 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Ledge TrailBike route
1.2 miSquirrel TrailBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
4Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Allenstown: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Allenstown →
Next door
Allenstown and its neighbors
Allenstown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allenstown | 56% | 3.0 | 1,430 | 87% | A+ |
| Pembroke | 4% | 1.5 | 34 | 58% | A− |
| Suncook | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hooksett | 25% | 1.2 | 96 | 24% | A− |
| Deerfield | 23% | 1.0 | 621 | 40% | A |
| Epsom | 10% | 1.3 | 7 | 21% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Allenstown
Where can I hike in Allenstown?
The longest trail networks: Bear Brook State Park, 47 miles; Pinkney Hill Preserve, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Allenstown is conserved land?
56% 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 Allenstown’s trails?
Bear Brook State Park and Pinkney Hill Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Allenstown?
26,838 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Allenstown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,788 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Allenstown have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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 Allenstown 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 →