Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
420 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: MidniteOIL · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dover
22% of Dover’s land is conserved: 3,694 acres
33 miles of mapped trail cross Dover, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area (3.4 mi), Franklin-McElheny Preserve (1.1 mi), Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary (1 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #49 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
3,694 acres · of 26.7 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
405 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 0.7 mi paths
Highest peak
295 ft
Long Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dover?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dover have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dover is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #49 of 126 in New Hampshire. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dover’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (405 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home78% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 62%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Dover’s 22% is ahead of 66% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
Water is 8% of Dover’s area (2 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Bellamy River WMA, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Franklin-McElheny Preserve
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
52 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Audubon Society of NH
38 acres1 mi of trail
Clement's Point TrailBellamy Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Bellamy Park
Managed by City of Dover
34 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Garrison Hill Park
Managed by City of Dover
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area420 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
DirectionsFranklin-McElheny Preserve52 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary38 acres · 1 mi of trail · Audubon Society of NH
DirectionsBellamy Park34 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Dover
DirectionsGarrison Hill Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Dover
DirectionsWoodman Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGuppey Park40 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeckwith Ballfields6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDover Little League Fields5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPark Street Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cocheco River Wildlife Management Area144 acres · NH Fish & Game
Sullivan Field and Playground30 acres · City of Dover
Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area East18 acres · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsLong Hill Memorial Park14 acres
DirectionsHilton Park9 acres
DirectionsHenry Law Park5 acres
DirectionsApplevale Park5 acres · City of Dover
DirectionsWilland Pond Recreation Area3 acres · City of Somersworth
DirectionsMorningside Park3 acres
Willand Pond Area1 acres · City of Somersworth;City of Dover
Spruce Lane Park1 acres · City of Dover
The Joe B Parks Riverwalk Public Gardens1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,694 conserved acres
22% of Dover’s land. Water is left out: Dover has 26.7 square miles of land and 2.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Dover’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,924 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,124 ac
Joint396 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)384 ac
State fish & wildlife374 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land122 ac
Regional agency115 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,519 acUnknown Easement · 908 acState Conservation Area · 522 acLocal Other or Unknown · 372 acAgricultural Easement · 361 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,829 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 269 of 368 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area - West - Lot 1 State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 268 | Restricted |
| Tolend Road Landfill Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 131 | Unknown |
| Ezra Green's Farm Private Conservation | Not recorded | 63 | Unknown |
| Griffin Well Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Littleworth Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| City of Portsmouth Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 52 | Unknown |
| Lower Cocheco River State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Restricted |
| Smith Well Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Cotton Well Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Unknown |
| Guppey Park Pool and Arena Local Park | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Dover
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Dover
Jenny Thompson Outdoor PoolIn Guppey Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Dover
Dover Adventure PlaygroundIn Henry Law Park
DirectionsGarrison School
DirectionsOverlook Drive Children’s Playground
DirectionsWoodman School Park
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Dover
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Dover
Cocheco River Canoe Launch
DirectionsDover Landing
DirectionsHilton Park Boat Launch
DirectionsWilland Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Dover
Hayes Falls
DirectionsKimballs Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Dover
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Dover
Long Hill295 ft elevation
DirectionsGarrison Hill292 ft elevation · In Garrison Hill Park
DirectionsBlackwater Hill230 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pleasant187 ft elevation
DirectionsPudding Hill180 ft elevation
DirectionsHuckleberry Hill135 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dover
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.8 miUnpaved · 10.7 mi
Dover Community Trail2.6 mi
Clement's Point Trail1.1 mi
Cathy Schiro O'Brien Cross Country Running Trail0.1 mi
Bellamy Trail0.1 mi
Barbado's Pond remote fishing access0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Tennis
12Baseball
9Pickleball
6Basketball
4Soccer
4Football
3Equestrian
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
County Farm BridgeStructure · listed 1975
About itMichael Reade HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itReligious Society of Friends MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itSawyer BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itWoodman InstituteBuilding · listed 1980
About itWilliam Hale HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itStrafford County FarmBuilding · listed 1981
About itFirst Parish ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itSamuel Wyatt HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itFirst Parish Church Site-Dover PointSite · listed 1983
About itSt. Thomas Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1984
About itBack River FarmBuilding · listed 1984
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dover: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
January is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Dover →
Next door
Dover and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rochester46 miSouth Berwick34 miDover33 miMadbury30 miSomersworth14 miEliot13 miRollinsford9.6 miNewington8.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 22% | 1.2 | 12 | 78% | A− |
| Rollinsford | 20% | 1.3 | 27 | 70% | A |
| Newington | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Madbury | 28% | 2.6 | 324 | 56% | A |
| Somersworth | 12% | 1.4 | 23 | 78% | A |
| Rochester | 9% | 1.0 | 15 | 43% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dover
Where can I hike in Dover?
The longest trail networks: Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area, 3.4 miles; Franklin-McElheny Preserve, 1.1 miles; Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 miles; Bellamy Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dover is conserved land?
22% 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 Dover’s trails?
Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area and Franklin-McElheny Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dover?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 0.7 of off-road paths and 1.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Dover?
10,697 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dover or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 462 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dover have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 Dover 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 →