Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
177 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog Cove Shore TrailWest Swamp TrailBeach TrailEast Swamp Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parking Lot
Photo: SatyrTN · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Center Harbor
Center Harbor has 214 acres of parks, 224 for every 1,000 residents
15 miles of mapped trail cross Center Harbor, 1.2 per square mile of land. 14% of Center Harbor’s land is conserved, about 1,181 acres. The biggest trail networks: Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest (3.9 mi), Center Harbor Woods (2.8 mi), Belknap Woods (2.2 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,181 acres · of 13.3 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
214 ac
224 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
33%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,125 ft
Sunset Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Center Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Center Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Center Harbor is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. 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 Center Harbor’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land224 acres of park per 1,000 residents (214 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home33% 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 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Center Harbor’s 14% is ahead of 33% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 47% of them.
Water is 18% of Center Harbor’s area (3 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Center Harbor Woods
Managed by Lakes Region Conservation Trust
217 acres2.8 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow TrailOrange TrailWhite Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Belknap Woods
Managed by Squam Lakes Association
90 acres2.2 mi of trail
Beaver Pond Loop (Red)Outer Loop (Yellow)Ski Trail (Light blue)Pond Trail (White)+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Fogg Hill Conservation Area
Managed by Lakes Region Conservation Trust
234 acres1.7 mi of trail
Fogg Hill TrailBog TrailBear Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by New Hampshire Audubon
48 acres1.2 mi of trail
Brookside Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest177 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
DirectionsCenter Harbor Woods217 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
DirectionsBelknap Woods90 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Squam Lakes Association
Fogg Hill Conservation Area234 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary48 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · New Hampshire Audubon
DirectionsG & C Mead Memorial Forest26 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Center Harbor Ball Field8 acres
Hawkins Pond Boat Launch Facility5 acres
Center Harbor Town Beach & Playground3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,181 conserved acres
14% of Center Harbor’s land. Water is left out: Center Harbor has 13.3 square miles of land and 3.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Center Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,069 ac
Town or city48 ac
Not recorded502 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,028 acPrivate Conservation · 514 acUnknown Easement · 72 acState Other or Unknown · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 662 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 60 of 67 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fogg Hill Private Conservation | Not recorded | 197 | Open |
| Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 177 | Unknown |
| Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Fogg Hill - Bear Pond (Bascom) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 40 | Unknown |
| G & C Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| McCleary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Unknown |
| Center Harbor Woods House Lot Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Closed |
| Sturtevant Bay II Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Hawkins Pond Boat Launch Facility State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| LRCT Headquarters Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
Things to do
13 places to go in Center Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Center Harbor
Center Harbor Town BeachIn Center Harbor Town Beach & Playground
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Center Harbor
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Center Harbor
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Center Harbor
Sunset Hill1,125 ft elevation
DirectionsMcGrillis Hill1,076 ft elevation
DirectionsFogg Hill961 ft elevation · In Fogg Hill Conservation Area
DirectionsHigh Haith604 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Center Harbor
Heron CoveIn Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest · Squam Lakes Association
DirectionsWister #1In Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest · Squam Lakes Association
DirectionsWister #2In Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest · Squam Lakes Association
DirectionsWister #3In Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest
DirectionsWister #4In Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest · Squam Lakes Association
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.9 mi
Blue Trail1.4 mi
Fogg Hill Trail0.9 mi
Beaver Pond Loop (Red)0.9 mi
Outer Loop (Yellow)0.9 mi
Dog Cove Shore Trail0.7 mi
Yellow Trail0.7 mi
Bog Trail0.6 mi
Orange Trail0.4 mi
Brookside Trail0.4 mi
White Trail0.3 mi
12 more trails
West Swamp Trail
0.3 miSki Trail (Light blue)
0.3 miBeach Trail
0.3 miEast Swamp Trail
0.3 miMiddle Meadow Trail
0.3 miInland trail
0.2 miAnt Hill Trail
0.2 miSwamp Walk
0.2 miBear Pond Trail
0.1 miPond Trail (White)
0.1 miYellow/Blue Trail
0.1 miBelknap Woods Entrance Trail (Blue)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
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
4Tennis
1Softball
1Basketball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Centre Harbor Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Center Harbor: May, June, 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) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Center Harbor →
Next door
Center Harbor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Harbor | 14% | 1.2 | 224 | 33% | A− |
| New Hampton | 15% | 0.7 | 65 | 15% | B+ |
| Meredith | 17% | 1.0 | 270 | 52% | A |
| Holderness | 27% | 1.4 | 111 | 13% | A− |
| Moultonborough | 38% | 1.4 | 76 | 30% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Center Harbor
Where can I hike in Center Harbor?
The longest trail networks: Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest, 3.9 miles; Center Harbor Woods, 2.8 miles; Belknap Woods, 2.2 miles; Fogg Hill Conservation Area, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Center Harbor is conserved land?
14% 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 Center Harbor’s trails?
Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest and Center Harbor Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Center Harbor?
19,288 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Center Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 219 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Center Harbor have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Center Harbor 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 →