Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest
Managed by Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
89 acres1.2 mi of trail
Burnham Brook LoopTree Farm Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager at Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Canterbury
19% of Canterbury’s land is conserved: 5,206 acres
233 acres are parks and preserves, 99 per 1,000 residents. 47 miles of mapped trail cross Canterbury, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest (1.2 mi), Shaker State Forest (1 mi).
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,206 acres · of 43.9 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
233 ac
99 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
909 ft
Zion Hill
Lakes & rivers
16
What kind of outdoors town is Canterbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canterbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canterbury is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canterbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (47 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land99 acres of park per 1,000 residents (233 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% 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 77%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Canterbury’s 19% is ahead of 49% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% 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 Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shaker State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
226 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rocky Pond Conservation Area
Managed by Canterbury Conservation Commission
94 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Muchyedo Banks Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
274 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest89 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Shaker State Forest226 acres · 1 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Rocky Pond Conservation Area94 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Canterbury Conservation Commission
Morrill Pond Wildlife Management Area77 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsSchoodac Conservation Area196 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Canterbury Conservation Commission
River Land Conservation Area68 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Canterbury Conservation Commission
Paul & Thelma Ambeau Memorial Forest20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Muchyedo Banks Wildlife Management Area274 acres · NH Fish & Game
Ayers State Forest48 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Kimball Pond Conservation Area41 acres · Canterbury Conservation Commission
Stillhouse Forest20 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Canterbury Town Forest20 acres · Canterbury Conservation Commission
Peverly Meadow Conservation Area11 acres · Canterbury Conservation Commission
Holt Road Marsh State Wildlife Manangement Area1 acres · NH Fish & Game
Who protects it
5,206 conserved acres
19% of Canterbury’s land. Who manages Canterbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,139 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2,118 ac
Town or city860 ac
State natural resources812 ac
Other state land776 ac
State fish & wildlife667 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)582 ac
Conservation Easement · 5,007 acUnknown Easement · 2,326 acAgricultural Easement · 640 acOther Easement · 606 acLocal Other or Unknown · 358 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,705 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 108 of 129 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Merrimack Oxbow Project State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 281 | Open |
| Shaker State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 231 | Unknown |
| Schoodac Conservation Area Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 191 | Unknown |
| Mary and Quentin Hutchins Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 92 | Unknown |
| Sawyers Ferry Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 79 | Unknown |
| Morrill Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 77 | Unknown |
| Hildreth - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 57 | Unknown |
| Ayers State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Hildreth's Field Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Rocky Pond 1 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Canterbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Canterbury
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Canterbury
Zion Hill909 ft elevation
DirectionsZion Hill860 ft elevation
DirectionsWhitney Hill719 ft elevation
DirectionsCogswell Hill692 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Canterbury
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.8 mi
Burnham Brook Loop0.7 mi
Factory Pond Trail0.6 mi
Tree Farm Loop0.5 mi
Rangeway0.4 mi
Turning Mill Pond Trail0.3 mi
Sawmill Pond Trail0.2 mi
Forrest Pond Rangeway0.1 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.
Courts & fields
2Golf
2Tennis
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Canterbury: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Canterbury →
Next door
Canterbury 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury | 19% | 1.1 | 99 | 8% | A− |
| Boscawen | 18% | 1.6 | 11 | 21% | B+ |
| Loudon | 10% | 1.0 | 6 | 12% | B− |
| Concord | 26% | 2.2 | 24 | 72% | A |
| Northfield | 3% | 1.7 | 75 | 42% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Canterbury
Where can I hike in Canterbury?
The longest trail networks: Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest, 1.2 miles; Shaker State Forest, 1 miles; Rocky Pond Conservation Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canterbury is conserved land?
19% 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 Canterbury’s trails?
Mary & Quentin Hutchins Forest and Shaker State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Canterbury?
7,541 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canterbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 419 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canterbury have?
Ahead of 77% 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 Canterbury 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 →