Manchester Waterworks
Managed by City of Manchester
3,874 acres43.3 mi of trail
Long TrailFirelineFire Road 62Fire Road 41+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Auburn
32% of Auburn’s land is conserved: 5,203 acres
59 miles of mapped trail cross Auburn, 2.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks (43.3 mi), Massabesic Center (1.8 mi). 132 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #37 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
5,203 acres · of 25.4 sq mi of land
Trails
59 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
132 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
52%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.8 mi
3.8 mi paths
Highest peak
561 ft
Mount Miner
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Auburn?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Auburn have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Auburn is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #37 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Auburn’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (59 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (132 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home52% 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 88%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 71%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Auburn’s 32% is ahead of 90% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
Water is 12% of Auburn’s area (3 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 28%.
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 Manchester Waterworks, with 43.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Massabesic Center
Managed by NH Audubon
52 acres1.8 mi of trail
South Hayfield LoopNorth Hayfield LoopFire Road 33Fire Road 35+1
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto Audubon Parking
Wayne R. Eddows Memorial Fields
Managed by Auburn Parks and Recreation
70 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Manchester Waterworks3,874 acres · 43.3 mi of trail · City of Manchester
DirectionsMassabesic Center52 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · NH Audubon
DirectionsWayne R. Eddows Memorial Fields70 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Auburn Parks and Recreation
Bicentennial Park3 acres
DirectionsAppletree Park2 acres · Town of Auburn
Circle of Fun Playground1 acres
Who protects it
5,203 conserved acres
32% of Auburn’s land. Water is left out: Auburn has 25.4 square miles of land and 3.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Auburn’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,849 ac
Regional agency637 ac
Town or city241 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)173 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land123 ac
State natural resources36 ac
Not recorded3,572 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 3,412 acConservation Easement · 1,825 acUnknown Easement · 1,097 acLocal Other or Unknown · 120 acAgricultural Easement · 50 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,595 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 43 of 65 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Water Works Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 3,412 | Unknown |
| Nutt Road Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 60 | Unknown |
| Town of Auburn Land Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 50 | Unknown |
| Manchester-Portsmouth RR Bed State Park | State natural resources | 36 | Unknown |
| Auburn 51 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Deer Run Green Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Massabesic Audubon Center Private Conservation | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Highwood Drive Green Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Margie Lane Green Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Joan Drive Green Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Auburn
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Auburn
Massabesic Lake BeachIn Manchester Waterworks
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Auburn
Appletree Park PlaygroundIn Appletree Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Auburn
Candia Road Boat LaunchIn Manchester Waterworks
DirectionsClair's Landing Boat RampIn Manchester Waterworks
DirectionsScenic views in Auburn
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Auburn
Mount Miner561 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Misery548 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pisgah525 ft elevation
DirectionsBunker Hill518 ft elevation
DirectionsMine Hill489 ft elevation
DirectionsSilver Hill456 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill449 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Auburn
Calef Lake Camping Area
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.4 miUnpaved · 9.7 mi
Long Trail1.5 mi
Fireline1.5 mi
Fire Road 621.4 mi
Fire Road 411.3 mi
Chester Turnpike1.3 mi
Fire Road 331.2 mi
Fire Road 651.1 mi
Fire Road 571.0 mi
Fire Road 831.0 mi
Fire Road 311.0 mi
15 more trails
Fisher Cat
0.9 miLady Slipper
0.9 miFox Tail
0.8 miFire Road 36
0.7 miDeer Run
0.7 miBeaver Chew
0.7 miFire Road 55
0.7 miFire Road 40
0.7 miFire Road 79
0.7 miFire Road 52
0.7 miMoose Tracks
0.6 miFire Road 70
0.6 miFire Road 56
0.5 miRed Pine
0.5 miFire Road 68
0.5 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
4Soccer
4Basketball
2Softball
1Equestrian
1Tennis
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Auburn: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Auburn →
Next door
Auburn and its neighbors
Auburn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 32% | 2.3 | 22 | 52% | A |
| Chester | 18% | 1.3 | 62 | 32% | A− |
| Manchester | 14% | 1.1 | 7 | 89% | A− |
| Hooksett | 25% | 1.2 | 96 | 24% | A− |
| South Hooksett | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Candia | 15% | 0.8 | 100 | 35% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Auburn
Where can I hike in Auburn?
The longest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks, 43.3 miles; Massabesic Center, 1.8 miles; Wayne R. Eddows Memorial Fields, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Auburn is conserved land?
32% 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 Auburn’s trails?
Manchester Waterworks and Massabesic Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Auburn?
3.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Auburn?
26,411 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Auburn or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 132 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Auburn have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 Auburn 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 →