Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve
Managed by Town of Barington
1,450 acres11.7 mi of trail
Cottontail TrailStone Wall Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Canaan Chapel · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Barrington
24% of Barrington’s land is conserved: 7,131 acres
73 miles of mapped trail cross Barrington, 1.6 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve (11.7 mi), Stonehouse Forest (9.8 mi), A Harlan Calef Isinglass Preserve (2.6 mi). 198 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #75 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
7,131 acres · of 46.7 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
198 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
554 ft
Bumfagging Hill
Lakes & rivers
18
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Barrington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Barrington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Barrington is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Barrington’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (198 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home28% 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 78%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 41%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Barrington’s 24% is ahead of 73% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 71% 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 Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve, with 11.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stonehouse Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
1,745 acres9.8 mi of trail
Locke TrailMarison TrailOverlook TrailSouth Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A Harlan Calef Isinglass Preserve
Managed by Town of Barrington
298 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Goodwill Conservation Area
Managed by Barrington Conservation Commission
288 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Newhall Conservation Land
Nature preserve
78 acres1.6 mi of trail
Wood Lot LoopForest TrailPond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Barrington Town Forest
Managed by Town of Barrington
50 acres1.3 mi of trail
Cornerstone TrailDeer TrailEagle TrailBeaver Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ann Tibbitts Schulz Turtle Brook Preserve
Managed by Southeast Land Trust
42 acres0.9 mi of trail
Barrington Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barr Easement
Managed by Town of Barrington
51 acres0.7 mi of trail
Barrington Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve1,450 acres · 11.7 mi of trail · Town of Barington
DirectionsStonehouse Forest1,745 acres · 9.8 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsA Harlan Calef Isinglass Preserve298 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
Goodwill Conservation Area288 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Barrington Conservation Commission
DirectionsNewhall Conservation Land78 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Barrington Town Forest50 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
DirectionsAnn Tibbitts Schulz Turtle Brook Preserve42 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Barr Easement51 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
Barrington Town Land81 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
Village Place Open Space31 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
DirectionsThe Gonic Trails15 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Waste Management
Kids of the River18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
DirectionsLeighton Forest293 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Barrington Athletic Fields19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Barrington
Stonehouse Pond Wildlife Management Area12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New Hampshire Fish & Game
DirectionsUNH Recreational Area194 acres · University of New Hampshire
River’s Edge Conservation Land50 acres · Town of Barrington
DirectionsCullen Woods Open Space9 acres · Town of Barrington
Barrington Community Playground5 acres
Who protects it
7,131 conserved acres
24% of Barrington’s land. Who manages Barrington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,612 ac
Town or city2,098 ac
State fish & wildlife1,523 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,061 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land632 ac
Joint485 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government455 ac
Conservation Easement · 7,142 acUnknown Easement · 1,417 acPrivate Conservation · 466 acResearch or Educational Area · 264 acLocal Other or Unknown · 235 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,840 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 119 of 200 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton Forest Private Conservation | Private owners | 293 | Unknown |
| UNH - Mendums Pond Recreation Area / McDan Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 197 | Unknown |
| Town of Barrington Land Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 101 | Unknown |
| Middle School Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 97 | Unknown |
| Rochester Water Dept. Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 81 | Unknown |
| UNH - Milne Lot Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 67 | Unknown |
| Swains Lake Village Water District Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 65 | Unknown |
| Rochester Reservoir - Barrington Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Restricted |
| Chestnut Forest Private Conservation | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Trickey Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Barrington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Barrington
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Barrington
Swains Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Barrington
Gonic Trails Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Barrington
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Barrington
Bumfagging Hill554 ft elevation
DirectionsNippo Hill541 ft elevation
DirectionsSunnyside Hill502 ft elevation
DirectionsHuckleberry Hill499 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Misery495 ft elevation
DirectionsBeauty Hill374 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Hill367 ft elevation
DirectionsBerrys Hill315 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Peaked Hill295 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Barrington
Ayers Lake Farm Campground & CottagesHours: Mon–Sun 10 am – 8 pm
DirectionsBarrington Shores CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 18 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.0 miHorses · 5.2 miUnpaved · 28.4 mi
Locke Trail3.5 mi
Barrington Trail2.5 mi
Marison Trail1.3 mi
South Trail1.0 mi
Overlook Trail1.0 mi
Worcester Nashua & Portland Railroad0.8 mi
Wood Lot Loop0.8 mi
Brook Trail0.8 mi
Ledges Loop0.7 mi
Cottontail Trail0.7 mi
15 more trails
Bog Trail
0.7 miBMS XC Trail
0.7 miSpace Ghost Trail
0.6 miCornerstone Trail
0.6 miForest Trail
0.5 miSquirrely Dan
0.5 miTertius Manus Trail
0.4 miMarison Trail West
0.4 miDeer Trail
0.3 miStone Wall Trail
0.3 miFuelish Trail
0.3 miEagle Trail
0.2 miPond Trail
0.2 miDon Valley Parkway
0.2 miProvince Road Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
10Baseball
3Soccer
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Canaan ChapelBuilding · listed 1982
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Barrington: 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 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Barrington →
Next door
Barrington and its neighbors
Barrington has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington | 24% | 1.6 | 21 | 28% | A− |
| Rochester | 9% | 1.0 | 15 | 43% | B+ |
| Strafford | 29% | 1.4 | 49 | 15% | A− |
| Nottingham | 34% | 1.4 | 1,288 | 26% | A |
| Madbury | 28% | 2.6 | 324 | 56% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Barrington
Where can I hike in Barrington?
The longest trail networks: Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve, 11.7 miles; Stonehouse Forest, 9.8 miles; A Harlan Calef Isinglass Preserve, 2.6 miles; Goodwill Conservation Area, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Barrington is conserved land?
24% 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 Barrington’s trails?
Samuel A. Tamposi Water Supply Reserve and Stonehouse Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Barrington?
18,479 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Barrington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,818 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Barrington have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #75 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 Barrington 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 →