Nottingcook Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
750 acres9.7 mi of trail
Nancy's TrailGlacial Erratic TrailSteer Brook TrailWoodbury Outlook Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bow
Bow has 80 miles of mapped trails, 2.9 for every square mile of land
1,525 acres are parks and preserves, 183 per 1,000 residents. 21% of Bow’s land is conserved, about 3,805 acres. The biggest trail networks: Nottingcook Forest (9.7 mi), Knox Town Forest (5.6 mi), Walker Forest (5.2 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #10 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
3,805 acres · of 28.2 sq mi of land
Trails
80 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,525 ac
183 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi paths
Highest peak
892 ft
Brown Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bow?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bow have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bow is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Bow’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (80 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land183 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,525 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home68% 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 95%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 93%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Bow’s 21% is ahead of 62% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% 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 Nottingcook Forest, with 9.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Knox Town Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
317 acres5.6 mi of trail
BoulderRobertsonMossyRobinson's Crest+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Walker Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
196 acres5.2 mi of trail
Eastman TrailWarner TrailEsker trailWeebelos trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bow Town Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
316 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bow School Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
109 acres2.5 mi of trail
School Forest LoopMiss SmithBoundaryMiss Putney+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Page Road Town Forest
Managed by Town of Bow
56 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hammond Nature Preserve
Managed by Town of Bow
146 acres2.1 mi of trail
Eagle TrailLife trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Turee Island Natural Area
Managed by Town of Bow
91 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 21 parks & preserves
Nottingcook Forest750 acres · 9.7 mi of trail · Town of Bow
DirectionsKnox Town Forest317 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Walker Forest196 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Bow Town Forest316 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Bow School Forest109 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Page Road Town Forest56 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Hammond Nature Preserve146 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Town of Bow
DirectionsTuree Island Natural Area91 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Turnpike Road Town Forest71 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Bow Bog Town Forest152 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Morgan Town Forest61 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Johnson Road Town Forest212 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Sargent Park27 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Bow
Pages Corner State Forest84 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Bela Brook Town Forest73 acres · Town of Bow
Heather Lane Town Forest39 acres · Town of Bow
Cilley State Forest34 acres · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Robinson Road Town Forest22 acres · Town of Bow
Hunter Drive Town Forest15 acres · Town of Bow
Bow Rotary Park3 acres
DirectionsBow Boat Ramp2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,805 conserved acres
21% of Bow’s land. Who manages Bow’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,799 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits490 ac
State natural resources324 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)199 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land196 ac
State fish & wildlife49 ac
Private owners4 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,345 acLocal Resource Management Area · 1,321 acLocal Conservation Area · 894 acLocal Other or Unknown · 602 acPrivate Conservation · 208 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,367 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 76 of 91 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservation Commission Lands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 471 | Open |
| Conservative Commission Lands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 424 | Open |
| Bow Town Forest - Lot 3-138 Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 317 | Unknown |
| Bow Town Forest - Lot 2-97 Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 260 | Unknown |
| Bow Town Forest - Walker Forest Local Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 202 | Open |
| Bow Town Forest - Turnpike Lots Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 167 | Unknown |
| St. Paul's School Land - Bow Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 140 | Unknown |
| Bow Bog Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 127 | Unknown |
| Richard Hanson Memorial Recreation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 123 | Unknown |
| Bow School Forest Local Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 109 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Bow
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bow
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Bow
Dorie's Ledge
DirectionsWoodbury Overlook
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Bow
Brown Hill892 ft elevation
DirectionsPicked Hill886 ft elevation
DirectionsWood Hill886 ft elevation
DirectionsGreat Hill840 ft elevation
DirectionsLine Hill810 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 68.3 miUnpaved · 30.9 mi
Branch Londonderry Turnpike2.8 mi
Eagle Trail1.5 mi
Boulder1.3 mi
Powerlines Trail1.3 mi
School Forest Loop1.3 mi
G track Connector1.3 mi
Single Circuit1.2 mi
Robertson1.2 mi
Snowmobile trail1.1 mi
Nancy's Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Mossy
0.9 miMooseknuckle
0.9 miEastman Trail
0.9 miWarner Trail
0.8 miGlacial Erratic Trail
0.8 miRobinson's Crest
0.8 miSalemander
0.7 miSteer Brook Trail
0.7 miEsker trail
0.7 miNew trail
0.7 miLife trail
0.6 miWoodbury Outlook Loop
0.6 miRookery
0.5 miWeebelos trail
0.5 miMonster's Ball
0.5 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Baseball
6Tennis
2Soccer
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bow: 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 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
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 Bow →
Next door
Bow and its neighbors
Bow has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 21% | 2.9 | 183 | 68% | A+ |
| Concord | 26% | 2.2 | 24 | 72% | A |
| Suncook | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dunbarton | 31% | 1.3 | 296 | 35% | A |
| Pembroke | 4% | 1.5 | 34 | 58% | A− |
| Hopkinton | 30% | 1.3 | 52 | 36% | A |
| Hooksett | 25% | 1.2 | 96 | 24% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bow
Where can I hike in Bow?
The longest trail networks: Nottingcook Forest, 9.7 miles; Knox Town Forest, 5.6 miles; Walker Forest, 5.2 miles; Bow Town Forest, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bow is conserved land?
21% 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 Bow’s trails?
Nottingcook Forest and Knox Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bow?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bow?
20,341 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bow or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,641 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bow have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 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 Bow 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 →