John D. Eaton State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
42 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in East Kingston
17% of East Kingston’s land is conserved: 1,076 acres
The biggest trail networks: John D. Eaton State Forest (0.6 mi). 3 acres are parks and preserves, 1.3 per 1,000 residents. 5.1 miles of mapped trail cross East Kingston, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,076 acres · of 9.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3 ac
1.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
299 ft
Morse Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is East Kingston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Kingston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Kingston is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Kingston’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home17% 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 42%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so East Kingston’s 17% is ahead of 44% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 4% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. 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 John D. Eaton State Forest, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Currier Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
28 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,076 conserved acres
17% of East Kingston’s land. Who manages East Kingston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency877 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits476 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)382 ac
Joint194 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land46 ac
State fish & wildlife30 ac
Town or city2 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,478 acAgricultural Easement · 336 acUnknown Easement · 160 acLocal Other or Unknown · 58 acLocal Conservation Area · 43 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 879 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 53 of 76 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Smith Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 43 | Unknown |
| Eaton State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| Currier Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 28 | Restricted |
| Red Gate Farm Lot 18 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Unknown |
| Unspecified Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Corbett Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Kennard Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Giles Rd Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| West, D. Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Town Boat Launch Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in East Kingston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in East Kingston
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in East Kingston
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in East Kingston
Morse Hill299 ft elevation
DirectionsYork Hill210 ft elevation
DirectionsBruce Hill161 ft elevation
DirectionsGiles Hill125 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
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
2Baseball
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.
Greeley HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in East Kingston: 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in East Kingston →
Next door
East Kingston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kingston | 17% | 0.5 | 1 | 17% | C+ |
| Kingston | 21% | 1.3 | 19 | 29% | A− |
| South Hampton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Newton | 13% | 0.9 | 25 | 59% | A− |
| Kensington | 28% | 1.1 | 45 | 24% | A− |
| Exeter | 32% | 3.2 | 58 | 88% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Kingston
Where can I hike in East Kingston?
The longest trail networks: John D. Eaton State Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Kingston is conserved land?
17% 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 East Kingston’s trails?
John D. Eaton State Forest and Currier Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near East Kingston?
16,350 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Kingston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does East Kingston have?
Ahead of 42% 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 East Kingston 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 →