Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
188 acres1.9 mi of trail
Blow-Me-Down TrailField TrailRavine TrailBlow-Me-Down Return Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto Saint-Gaudens Visitor Parking
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cornish
Cornish has 260 acres of parks, 143 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Cornish’s land is conserved, about 4,193 acres. 38 miles of mapped trail cross Cornish, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (1.9 mi), Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest (0.8 mi), Cornish Town Forest (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
4,193 acres · of 42.0 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
260 ac
143 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
6%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,608 ft
Fernald Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Cornish?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam143 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild16% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 78% of U.S. towns.History along the way10 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cornish have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cornish is ahead of 75% 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 Cornish’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land143 acres of park per 1,000 residents (260 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home6% 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 75%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Cornish’s 16% is ahead of 41% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% 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 Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
653 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cornish Town Forest
Nature preserve
260 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cornish Recreation and Education Area
Managed by Town of Cornish
65 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park188 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsMichael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest653 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Cornish Town Forest260 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Cornish Recreation and Education Area65 acres · Town of Cornish
Cornish Wildlife Management Area43 acres · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsChase Island Wildlife Management Area22 acres · NH Fish & Game
Who protects it
4,193 conserved acres
16% of Cornish’s land. Who manages Cornish’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,852 ac
Town or city1,028 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government324 ac
National Park Service187 ac
State natural resources145 ac
Other state land110 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)66 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,681 acUnknown Easement · 1,605 acPrivate Conservation · 667 acWatershed Protection Area · 417 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 187 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,636 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 71 of 93 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yatsevitch Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 584 | Unknown |
| Whitewater Brook Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 417 | Unknown |
| Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 187 | Restricted |
| Olsen Tract Private Conservation | Not recorded | 83 | Unknown |
| Cornish Recreation Area Land Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 69 | Unknown |
| Blue Mountain Swap Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
| Cornish Wildlife Management Area - Connecticut River Access State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 43 | Unknown |
| Jackson Rd Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
| Weld - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 35 | Unknown |
| MacLeay - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 21 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Cornish
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cornish
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Cornish
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Cornish
Fernald Hill1,608 ft elevation · In Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest
DirectionsYatsevitch Hill1,499 ft elevation · In Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest
DirectionsSpaulding Hill1,437 ft elevation
DirectionsAltai Hill1,391 ft elevation · In Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest
DirectionsParsonage Hill1,365 ft elevation
DirectionsDingleton Hill1,312 ft elevation
DirectionsKenyon Hill1,296 ft elevation
DirectionsSmith Hill1,289 ft elevation
Directions3 more peaks
Read Hill1,119 ft elevation
DirectionsWellmans Hill1,115 ft elevation · In Cornish Town Forest
DirectionsIronwood Hill1,089 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 19.4 mi
Blow-Me-Down Trail0.7 mi
Field Trail0.6 mi
Ravine Trail0.3 mi
Blow-Me-Down Return Trail0.2 mi
Sycamore Trail0.1 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
1Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Louis St. Gaudens House and StudioBuilding · listed 1972
About itCornish-Windsor Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1976
About itFirst Baptist Church of CornishBuilding · listed 1978
About itBlow-Me-Down Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1978
About itKenyon BridgeStructure · listed 1978
About itTrinity ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itDingleton Hill Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1978
About itSaint-Gaudens National Historic Site Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cornish: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Cornish →
Next door
Cornish 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish | 16% | 0.9 | 143 | 6% | A− |
| Plainfield | 14% | 1.5 | 11 | 10% | B |
| Croydon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Claremont | 5% | 1.2 | 44 | 67% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cornish
Where can I hike in Cornish?
The longest trail networks: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, 1.9 miles; Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest, 0.8 miles; Cornish Town Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cornish is conserved land?
16% 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 Cornish’s trails?
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park and Michael M. & Claudia Yatsevitch Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cornish?
19,884 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cornish or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 263 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cornish have?
Ahead of 75% 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 Cornish 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 →