Sawyer Conservation Area
Managed by Atkinson Conservation Commission
143 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Atkinson
Atkinson has 18 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
19% of Atkinson’s land is conserved, about 1,332 acres. 558 acres are parks and preserves, 77 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Sawyer Conservation Area (2 mi), Schafer Woods (1.9 mi), Caroline Orr Town Forest (1 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #9 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,332 acres · of 11.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
558 ac
77 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
2.3 mi paths
Highest peak
417 ft
Hog Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Atkinson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Atkinson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Atkinson is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #9 of 126 in New Hampshire. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Atkinson’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land77 acres of park per 1,000 residents (558 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 94%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Atkinson’s 19% is ahead of 51% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% 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 Sawyer Conservation Area, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Schafer Woods
Managed by Southeast Land Trust
144 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Caroline Orr Town Forest
Managed by Atkinson Conservation Commission
45 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Woodlock Trail System/Chadwick Town Forest
Managed by Town of Atkinson
33 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Crown Hill Town Forest
Managed by Town of Atkinson
19 acres1 mi of trail
Skunk Skull
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ruth Stickney Town Forest
Managed by Town of Atkinson
32 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Canoe/Kayak Launch Parking
Christa Slade Town Forest
Managed by Town of Atkinson
18 acres0.8 mi of trail
Blue TrailPink TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ruth Marshall Town Forest
Managed by Atkinson Conservation Commission
32 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Sawyer Conservation Area143 acres · 2 mi of trail · Atkinson Conservation Commission
DirectionsSchafer Woods144 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Caroline Orr Town Forest45 acres · 1 mi of trail · Atkinson Conservation Commission
Woodlock Trail System/Chadwick Town Forest33 acres · 1 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
DirectionsCrown Hill Town Forest19 acres · 1 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
Ruth Stickney Town Forest32 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
DirectionsChrista Slade Town Forest18 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
DirectionsRuth Marshall Town Forest32 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Atkinson Conservation Commission
Sawmill Swamp Town Forest82 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
French's Woodland Conservation Land8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Noyes Wildflower Preserve7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
Marshall Trust Land33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Atkinson
Plaistow Town Forest2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Plaistow Conservation Commission
Ruth Marshall Forest2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Town Open Space71 acres
DirectionsRuth D. McPherson Conservation Land29 acres · Essex County Greenbelt
Woodlock Recreation Area24 acres · Town of Atkinson
DirectionsCollins Park10 acres · Town of Atkinson
West Road Conservation Area3 acres · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Who protects it
1,332 conserved acres
19% of Atkinson’s land. Who manages Atkinson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,067 ac
State natural resources203 ac
Other state land54 ac
Regional agency38 ac
Private owners18 ac
Joint18 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits16 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 586 acLocal Conservation Area · 295 acLocal Resource Management Area · 217 acUnknown Easement · 168 acConservation Easement · 166 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 121 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 40 of 81 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt D Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 85 | Open |
| Bryant Woods Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 79 | Unknown |
| Atkinson Forest Lands & Green Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Page Farm Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 68 | Restricted |
| Bonin Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 60 | Unknown |
| Settler's Ridge Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 59 | Restricted |
| SPNHF (Trinity House Camp) Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 54 | Unknown |
| Sawmill Ridge Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 53 | Restricted |
| Centerview Hollow Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 49 | Restricted |
| SPNHF / Sawyer Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 48 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Atkinson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Atkinson
Woodlock Park PlaygroundIn Woodlock Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Atkinson
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Atkinson
Hog Hill417 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Knoll344 ft elevation
DirectionsProvidence Hill335 ft elevation
DirectionsBragg Hill305 ft elevation
DirectionsPoors Hill299 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Skunk Skull1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.4 mi
Pink Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Pickleball
2Tennis
2Soccer
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Atkinson Academy SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Atkinson: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Atkinson →
Next door
Atkinson and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Atkinson
Where can I hike in Atkinson?
The longest trail networks: Sawyer Conservation Area, 2 miles; Schafer Woods, 1.9 miles; Caroline Orr Town Forest, 1 miles; Woodlock Trail System/Chadwick Town Forest, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Atkinson is conserved land?
19% 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 Atkinson’s trails?
Sawyer Conservation Area and Schafer Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Atkinson?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Atkinson?
17,369 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Atkinson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 596 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Atkinson have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Atkinson 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 →