Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust
881 acres5.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Epping
30% of Epping’s land is conserved: 5,010 acres
43 miles of mapped trail cross Epping, 1.7 per square mile of land. 317 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest (5.8 mi), Mast Road Natural Area (4.5 mi), Burley Farms (2.7 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #19 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
5,010 acres · of 26.0 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
317 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
6.8 mi paths
Highest peak
423 ft
Kennard Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Epping?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Epping have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Epping is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #19 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Epping’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (317 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% 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 91%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 86%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Epping’s 30% is ahead of 85% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% of them.
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 Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest, with 5.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mast Road Natural Area
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
524 acres4.5 mi of trail
Lamprey River TrailHedding Spur TrailBeauchesne Farm TrailOld Piggery Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Mast Road Natural Area Parking
Burley Farms
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
239 acres2.7 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow TrailBlue TrailGreen Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Burley Farms Parking
Haley Woods
Managed by Southeast Land Trust
96 acres1.6 mi of trail
Hayley Woods
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Robert Friend Low Park
Managed by Town of Epping
47 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fox Run Park
Managed by Town of Epping
23 acres0.7 mi of trail
Alphabet Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lamprey River Floodplain Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Epping
12 acres0.7 mi of trail
SnowShoeTrail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John B. Folsom Conservation Land
Managed by Epping Conservation Commission
28 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest881 acres · 5.8 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Mast Road Natural Area524 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsBurley Farms239 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsHaley Woods96 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
DirectionsRobert Friend Low Park47 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Epping
DirectionsFox Run Park23 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Epping
Lamprey River Floodplain Conservation Area12 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Epping
DirectionsJohn B. Folsom Conservation Land28 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Epping Conservation Commission
DirectionsPawtuckaway River Reservation246 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Lamprey River Wildlife Preserve85 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsPiscassic River Wildlife Management Area105 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsTwo Rivers Wildlife Preserve96 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
George H. Fall Woods13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Epping
Dimond Hill Easement113 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Epping
Ledgewood Conservation Area24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Epping Conservation Commission
Lamprey River Forest159 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Goodrich Marsh Wildlife Management Area72 acres · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsHoar Property69 acres · Town of Epping
Seacoast United Complex31 acres · Seacoast United Soccer Club
DirectionsSanborn Memorial Forest29 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Mary E. Folsom Blair Park9 acres · Town of Epping
Who protects it
5,010 conserved acres
30% of Epping’s land. Who manages Epping’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,637 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,829 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land1,446 ac
Town or city1,037 ac
Other state land123 ac
Joint77 ac
Regional agency72 ac
Conservation Easement · 6,822 acPrivate Conservation · 632 acAgricultural Easement · 388 acUnknown Easement · 374 acLocal Other or Unknown · 188 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,619 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 120 of 177 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawtuckaway River Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 144 | Open |
| Lamprey River Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 108 | Unknown |
| Piscassic River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Haley Woods State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 83 | Open |
| Candace Thayer Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Dow Addition Private Conservation | Not recorded | 73 | Unknown |
| Goodrich Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| UNH - Hoar Property Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 70 | Unknown |
| Longmeadow West Private Conservation | Town or city | 66 | Unknown |
| Manchester-Portsmouth RR Bed State Park | State natural resources | 63 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Epping
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Epping
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Epping
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Epping
Kennard Hill423 ft elevation · In Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest
DirectionsRedoak Hill390 ft elevation
DirectionsRundlett Hill308 ft elevation
DirectionsJones Hill269 ft elevation
DirectionsBurley Hill246 ft elevation · In Burley Farms
DirectionsDimond Hill236 ft elevation · In Lamprey River Wildlife Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.2 miHorses · 2.1 miUnpaved · 13.4 mi
Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont Branch1.3 mi
Hayley Woods1.1 mi
SnowShoeTrail1.0 mi
Red Trail1.0 mi
Lamprey River Trail0.9 mi
Hedding Spur Trail0.7 mi
Alphabet Trail0.6 mi
Old Piggery Trail0.5 mi
Beauchesne Farm Trail0.5 mi
Yellow Trail0.5 mi
4 more trails
Black Gum Trail
0.4 miBlue Trail
0.3 miGreen Trail
0.2 miBC Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont BranchBike route
1.3 miCourts & fields
5Soccer
2Baseball
1Softball
1Football
1Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Epping: 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 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
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 Epping →
Next door
Epping and its neighbors
Epping has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epping | 30% | 1.7 | 43 | 59% | A |
| Raymond | 16% | 1.1 | 18 | 37% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Epping
Where can I hike in Epping?
The longest trail networks: Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest, 5.8 miles; Mast Road Natural Area, 4.5 miles; Burley Farms, 2.7 miles; Haley Woods, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Epping is conserved land?
30% 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 Epping’s trails?
Harvey's Kennard Hill Forest and Mast Road Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Epping?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of off-road paths. Named routes: Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont Branch.
Is there public land near Epping?
18,928 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Epping or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 821 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Epping have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Epping 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 →