David Dana Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
291 acres2.7 mi of trail
Lower Ox TeamGold Mine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Dalton
Few parks or trails are on the map in Dalton
The biggest trail networks: David Dana Forest (2.7 mi). 12% of Dalton’s land is conserved, about 2,051 acres. 415 acres are parks and preserves, 453 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
12%
2,051 acres · of 27.5 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
415 ac
453 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
19%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,126 ft
Dalton Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
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 David Dana Forest, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forest Lake State Park
Park
411 acres0.4 mi of trail
Forest Lake Beach Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ruth & Slade Gorton Memorial Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
104 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,051 conserved acres
12% of Dalton’s land. Who manages Dalton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)869 ac
County536 ac
Regional agency535 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits496 ac
Not recorded825 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,290 acPrivate Conservation · 420 acState Park · 410 acUnknown Easement · 130 acLocal Other or Unknown · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,210 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lake State Park State Park | Not recorded | 410 | Unknown |
| Dana Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 299 | Unknown |
| Ruth and Slade Gorton Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Thompson Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Unknown |
| Dalton School Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Hall-Nilsen Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Unknown |
Things to do
5 places to go in Dalton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Dalton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Dalton
Dalton Mountain2,126 ft elevation
DirectionsWallace Hill1,893 ft elevation
DirectionsBeede Mountain1,827 ft elevation
DirectionsBlue Hill1,647 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.8 mi
Lower Ox Team0.8 mi
Gold Mine Trail0.6 mi
Forest Lake Beach Path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Dalton
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 38 | 52 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 56 | 42 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Dalton →
Next door
Dalton and its neighbors
Dalton has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Littleton | 9% | 1.8 | 20 | 51% | A− |
| Whitefield | 16% | 0.9 | 3 | 39% | B |
| Lancaster | 14% | 0.5 | 222 | 44% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dalton
Where can I hike in Dalton?
The longest trail networks: David Dana Forest, 2.7 miles; Forest Lake State Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Dalton’s trails?
David Dana Forest and Forest Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dalton?
42,259 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dalton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 415 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Dalton 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 →