Manchester Waterworks
Managed by City of Manchester
1,116 acres9.8 mi of trail
Fire Road 794milerFire Road 80Fire Road 82+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Candia
Candia has 413 acres of parks, 100 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Candia’s land is conserved, about 2,978 acres. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Candia, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks (9.8 mi), Bear Brook State Park (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #64 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,978 acres · of 30.3 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
413 ac
100 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.8 mi
4.8 mi paths
Highest peak
938 ft
Hall Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Candia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Candia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Candia is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #64 of 126 in New Hampshire. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Candia’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land100 acres of park per 1,000 residents (413 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 81%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 50%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Candia’s 15% is ahead of 38% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 14% 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 Manchester Waterworks, with 9.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bear Brook State Park
Nature preserve
294 acres1.9 mi of trail
Hall Mountain TrailHall Mountain Marsh TrailHall MountainLynx Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Emerson's Mill & Patten's Mill Sites
Park
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Natt W. Emerson Tract
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
66 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Manchester Waterworks1,116 acres · 9.8 mi of trail · City of Manchester
Bear Brook State Park294 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Emerson's Mill & Patten's Mill Sites17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Natt W. Emerson Tract66 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Deerfield Road Town Forest107 acres · Candia Conservation Commission
Abe Emerson Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary107 acres · Audubon Society of NH
Fordway Brook Preserve105 acres · Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
Flint Road Town Forest63 acres · Town of Candia
Hemlock Drive Town Forest63 acres · Candia Conservation Commission
Dennis Lewis Town Forest44 acres · Candia Conservation Commission
Clay Pond Headwaters Conservation Area9 acres · Hooksett Conservation Commission
Candia Town Pond and Natural Area3 acres
Who protects it
2,978 conserved acres
15% of Candia’s land. Who manages Candia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits593 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)431 ac
State natural resources329 ac
Regional agency202 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land168 ac
Joint30 ac
Not recorded1,756 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 1,124 acConservation Easement · 1,121 acLocal Other or Unknown · 464 acState Conservation Area · 291 acUnknown Easement · 205 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 894 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 41 of 52 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 | 1,124 | Unknown |
| Bear Brook State Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 291 | Unknown |
| Abe Emerson Marsh Private Conservation | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Deerfield Road Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 101 | Unknown |
| Hemlock Drive Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Candia Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
| Garland Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
| New Boston Road Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
| Manchester-Portsmouth RR Bed State Park | State natural resources | 38 | Unknown |
| High Street Parcels Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Candia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Candia
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Candia
Hall Mountain938 ft elevation · In Bear Brook State Park
DirectionsWalnut Hill689 ft elevation
DirectionsTower Hill686 ft elevation
DirectionsPatten Hill620 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miUnpaved · 5.7 mi
Fire Road 792.4 mi
4miler2.4 mi
Hall Mountain Trail1.1 mi
Fire Road 800.8 mi
Fire Road 820.6 mi
Fire Road 770.5 mi
Fire Road 780.4 mi
Hall Mountain Marsh Trail0.3 mi
Fire Road 810.3 mi
Hall Mountain0.3 mi
1 more trails
Lynx Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
2Soccer
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).
Smyth Public LibraryBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Candia: 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 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Candia →
Next door
Candia and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Candia
Where can I hike in Candia?
The longest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks, 9.8 miles; Bear Brook State Park, 1.9 miles; Emerson's Mill & Patten's Mill Sites, 0.4 miles; Natt W. Emerson Tract, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Candia is conserved land?
15% 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 Candia’s trails?
Manchester Waterworks and Bear Brook State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Candia?
4.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Candia?
26,974 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Candia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 413 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Candia have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 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 Candia 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 →