Fall Mountain State Forest
Nature preserve
519 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Charlestown
Charlestown has 290 acres of parks, 59 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Charlestown’s land is conserved, about 2,965 acres. 33 miles of mapped trail cross Charlestown, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Fall Mountain State Forest (1.9 mi), Charlestown Town Forest - Reservoir Lot (1.9 mi), Hubbard Hill State Forest (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #73 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,965 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
290 ac
59 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
38%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,650 ft
Sams Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Charlestown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Charlestown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Charlestown is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Charlestown’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land59 acres of park per 1,000 residents (290 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home38% 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 80%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 42%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Charlestown’s 13% is ahead of 27% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% of them.
Water is 6% of Charlestown’s area (2 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Fall Mountain State Forest, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charlestown Town Forest - Reservoir Lot
Nature preserve
192 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hubbard Hill State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
746 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Connecticut River State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
220 acres1.3 mi of trail
Lamb Road (Class VI)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Up on the Hill Conservation Area
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
363 acres1.1 mi of trail
Bible Hill Road (Class VI)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Charlestown Town Forest - Halls Pond Lot
Managed by Town of Charlestown
173 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Fall Mountain State Forest519 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Charlestown Town Forest - Reservoir Lot192 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Hubbard Hill State Forest746 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Connecticut River State Forest220 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Up on the Hill Conservation Area363 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Upper Valley Land Trust
Charlestown Town Forest - Halls Pond Lot173 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Charlestown
Spaulding Wildlife Management Area54 acres · NH Fish & Game
Charlestown Town Forest - Sam’s Hill Lot52 acres · Town of Charlestown
Patch Park13 acres
DirectionsHerricks Cove Picnic Area and Boat Launch3 acres
DirectionsSwan Commons1 acres
Who protects it
2,965 conserved acres
13% of Charlestown’s land. Water is left out: Charlestown has 35.8 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Charlestown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,237 ac
State natural resources1,059 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government357 ac
Town or city339 ac
Other state land131 ac
Not recorded908 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,742 acState Resource Management Area · 961 acUnknown Easement · 418 acPrivate Conservation · 360 acLocal Resource Management Area · 273 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,095 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 24 of 31 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubbard Hill State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 734 | Open |
| Up on the Hill Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 360 | Unknown |
| Connecticut River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 228 | Open |
| Town Forest - Reservoir Lot Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 196 | Unknown |
| Charlestown Town Forest - Hall Pond Lot Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 189 | Unknown |
| Charlestown Town Forest - South Hemlock Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Spaulding Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
| Charlestown Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Charlestown Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Charlestown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Charlestown
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Charlestown
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Charlestown
Sams Hill1,650 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill1,430 ft elevation
DirectionsHemlock Hill1,342 ft elevation
DirectionsHubbard Hill1,030 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Ridge994 ft elevation · In Connecticut River State Forest
DirectionsPage Hill935 ft elevation
DirectionsBreakneck Hill879 ft elevation
DirectionsPerry Hill791 ft elevation
Directions3 more peaks
Calavant Hill768 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill607 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill591 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Lamb Road (Class VI)2.3 mi
Bible Hill Road (Class VI)1.2 mi
Borough Road (Class VI)1.0 mi
Lawrence Hill Road (Class VI)0.8 mi
Wood Road (Class VI)0.8 mi
Stonebridge Road (Class VI)0.7 mi
Lakes & 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
3Baseball
2Soccer
2Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Charlestown: May and July 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 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Charlestown →
Next door
Charlestown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown | 13% | 0.9 | 59 | 38% | A− |
| Unity | 12% | 1.1 | 25 | 2% | B+ |
| Langdon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Claremont | 5% | 1.2 | 44 | 67% | A− |
| Acworth | — 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 Charlestown
Where can I hike in Charlestown?
The longest trail networks: Fall Mountain State Forest, 1.9 miles; Charlestown Town Forest - Reservoir Lot, 1.9 miles; Hubbard Hill State Forest, 1.5 miles; Connecticut River State Forest, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Charlestown is conserved land?
13% 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 Charlestown’s trails?
Fall Mountain State Forest and Charlestown Town Forest - Reservoir Lot don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Charlestown?
18,471 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlestown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,356 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Charlestown have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #73 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 Charlestown 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 →