Mount Moosilauke
Managed by Dartmouth College
2,690 acres10.6 mi of trail
Gorge Brook TrailBeaver Brook TrailHurricane Mountain TrailSnapper Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Ravine Summer Parking
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Benton
More than half of Benton’s land is conserved: 88%
88% of Benton’s land is conserved, about 27,065 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mount Moosilauke (10.6 mi), Benton State Forest (2.2 mi). 50 miles of mapped trail cross Benton, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
88%
27,065 acres · of 48.2 sq mi of land
Trails
50 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
4,816 ft
Mount Moosilauke
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
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 Mount Moosilauke, with 10.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Benton State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
431 acres2.2 mi of trail
Glencliff TrailHurricane Mountain Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Glencliff
Who protects it
27,065 conserved acres
88% of Benton’s land. Who manages Benton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service24,241 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government315 ac
Other state land315 ac
Not recorded2,900 ac
National Forest · 23,614 acPrivate Conservation · 2,405 acConservation Easement · 656 acState Resource Management Area · 431 acUnknown Easement · 315 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 620 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 23,614 | Open |
| Mount Moosilauke Private Conservation | Not recorded | 2,405 | Unknown |
| Benton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 431 | Unknown |
| Glencliff Home for the Elderly State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
Things to do
23 places to go in Benton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Benton
Long Pond Day Use Area Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Benton
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Benton
Mount Moosilauke4,816 ft elevation · In Mount Moosilauke
DirectionsSouth Peak4,531 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Blue4,528 ft elevation · In Mount Moosilauke
DirectionsMount Clough3,553 ft elevation
DirectionsJeffers Mountain2,982 ft elevation
DirectionsHurricane Mountain2,972 ft elevation
DirectionsPetrichor Peak2,808 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Mountain2,782 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Whitcher Hill2,746 ft elevation
DirectionsHowe Hill2,667 ft elevation
DirectionsBlueberry Mountain2,664 ft elevation
DirectionsSugarloaf Mountain2,510 ft elevation
DirectionsTitus Hill2,352 ft elevation
DirectionsOwls Head1,969 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 4 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 22.0 mi
Blueberry Mountain Trail3.5 mi
Warren Recreational Rail Trail3.2 mi
Gorge Brook Trail3.2 mi
Benton Trail2.8 mi
Glencliff Trail2.8 mi
Hurricane Mountain Trail2.7 mi
Beaver Brook Trail2.5 mi
Tunnel Brook Trail2.2 mi
Forestry Road 1702.2 mi
Snapper Trail0.9 mi
6 more trails
Hurricane Trail
0.7 miForestry Road 171
0.6 miTown Line Trail
0.6 miChippewa Trail
0.5 miAsquam Ridge Trail
0.2 miSouth Peak Spur
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Benton: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 25 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 65 | 70 | 68 | 62 | 49 | 37 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 5.9 |
February is the driest month (3.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 70 °F). 6.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Benton →
Next door
Benton and its neighbors
Benton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Woodstock | 82% | 0.8 | 3 | 33% | B |
| Haverhill | 12% | 0.8 | 22 | 26% | B+ |
| Warren | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Landaff | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Piermont | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benton
Where can I hike in Benton?
The longest trail networks: Mount Moosilauke, 10.6 miles; Benton State Forest, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Benton’s trails?
Mount Moosilauke and Benton State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Benton?
100,196 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,738 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Benton 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 →