Bear Pond Natural Area
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
936 acres4 mi of trail
Audubon TrailSweet Water TrailHorseshoe Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Canaan
17% of Canaan’s land is conserved: 5,691 acres
The biggest trail networks: Bear Pond Natural Area (4 mi), Bear Hill Conservancy Land (3.4 mi), Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Mascoma River Division) (1.9 mi). 36 miles of mapped trail cross Canaan, 0.7 per square mile of land. 9% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
5,691 acres · of 53.4 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
9 ac
2.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
9%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,355 ft
Sawyer Hill
Lakes & rivers
11
3 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Canaan?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canaan have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canaan is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canaan’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home9% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 45%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)#125 of 126
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Canaan’s 17% is ahead of 44% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. 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 Bear Pond Natural Area, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bear Hill Conservancy Land
Managed by Bear Hill Conservancy Trust
1,633 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Mascoma River Division)
Managed by USFW
743 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mascoma State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
227 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Canaan Town Forest
Nature preserve
97 acres0.3 mi of trail
Canaan Town Forest Fern Trail (yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Herbert L. Webster Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
84 acres0.3 mi of trail
Northern Rail Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Bear Pond Natural Area936 acres · 4 mi of trail · Upper Valley Land Trust
Bear Hill Conservancy Land1,633 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Bear Hill Conservancy Trust
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Mascoma River Division)743 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · USFW
Mascoma State Forest227 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Canaan Town Forest97 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHerbert L. Webster Wildlife Management Area84 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Mascoma River Wildlife Management Area174 acres · NH Fish & Game
Crowell Woodlands75 acres · Upper Valley Land Trust
Rowley Memorial Forest23 acres · New England Foresty Foundation
Goose Pond Park5 acres · State of NH DES
DirectionsWilliams Field4 acres · Town of Canaan
DirectionsThe Common1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,691 conserved acres
17% of Canaan’s land. Who manages Canaan’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,439 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service3,225 ac
Town or city408 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government240 ac
Not recorded535 ac
Conservation Easement · 7,444 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 862 acUnknown Easement · 570 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 306 acState Resource Management Area · 228 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,858 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 45 of 62 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Pond Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 862 | Open |
| Silvio O. Conte National Fish And Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 306 | Restricted |
| Mascoma State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 228 | Unknown |
| Town Forest Lot 1 Private Conservation | Town or city | 129 | Unknown |
| Mascoma River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 122 | Unknown |
| Herbert L. Webster Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 88 | Unknown |
| Jones Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Tansey Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| New England Forestry Foundation -Canaan Private Conservation | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
Things to do
10 places to go in Canaan
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Canaan
Canaan Street Lake Beach
DirectionsGoose Pond Dam Beach
DirectionsGoose Pond Park BeachIn Goose Pond Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Canaan
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Canaan
Boat Launch
DirectionsGoose Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Canaan
Sawyer Hill1,355 ft elevation
DirectionsTown Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Canaan
Goose Pond Park Picnic AreaIn Goose Pond Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.6 miUnpaved · 15.4 mi
Northern Rail Trail6.3 mi
Audubon Trail1.3 mi
Sweet Water Trail1.0 mi
Field Loop0.9 mi
Horseshoe Pond Trail0.6 mi
Harris Brook trail0.5 mi
Upper Loop0.4 mi
Upper Loop Climb0.4 mi
Canaan Town Forest Fern Trail (yellow)0.3 mi
Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Northern Rail TrailBike route
6.3 miCourts & fields
13Tennis
5Soccer
2Softball
2Basketball
2Football
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Canaan: May, 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Canaan →
Next door
Canaan and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan | 17% | 0.7 | 2 | 9% | B− |
| Dorchester | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Enfield | 29% | 1.2 | 9 | 35% | B+ |
| Orange | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hanover | 31% | 2.9 | 53 | 78% | A+ |
| Grafton | 8% | 1.0 | 19 | 7% | B |
| Groton | — 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 Canaan
Where can I hike in Canaan?
The longest trail networks: Bear Pond Natural Area, 4 miles; Bear Hill Conservancy Land, 3.4 miles; Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Mascoma River Division), 1.9 miles; Mascoma State Forest, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canaan is conserved land?
17% 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 Canaan’s trails?
Bear Pond Natural Area and Bear Hill Conservancy Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Canaan?
20,666 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canaan or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canaan have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Canaan 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 →