Epsom Town Forest
Managed by Town of Epsom
654 acres6.2 mi of trail
Fort Mountain Vista TrailNeville Ridge Scout Foot TrailMill Sluice Foot TrailNeville Peak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Epsom Town Forest Parking Lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Epsom
Epsom has 46 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
10% of Epsom’s land is conserved, about 2,195 acres. The biggest trail networks: Epsom Town Forest (6.2 mi), Webster Park (0.7 mi), Conservation Easement 1 (0.5 mi). 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #112 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,195 acres · of 34.4 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
34 ac
6.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,391 ft
Fort Mountain
Lakes & rivers
10
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Epsom?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Epsom have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Epsom is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #112 of 126 in New Hampshire. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Epsom’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land6.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (34 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home21% 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 57%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 11%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Epsom’s 10% is ahead of 15% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 57% 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 Epsom Town Forest, with 6.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Conservation Easement 1
Managed by Dr Edward & Carole Ann Jackson
74 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Conservation Easement 2
Managed by Alice Kimball Smith
105 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Epsom Town Forest654 acres · 6.2 mi of trail · Town of Epsom
DirectionsWebster Park25 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsConservation Easement 174 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Dr Edward & Carole Ann Jackson
Conservation Easement 2105 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Alice Kimball Smith
Edythe H. Boisvert Town Forest28 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Deerfield
Bear Brook State Park3 acres
Short Falls Swimming Area3 acres · Town of Epsom
DirectionsJames Park1 acres · Department of Transportation
Who protects it
2,195 conserved acres
10% of Epsom’s land. Who manages Epsom’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,368 ac
Town or city575 ac
Other state land494 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land259 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)258 ac
Joint195 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government179 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,877 acUnknown Easement · 860 acLocal Other or Unknown · 416 acPrivate Conservation · 320 acOther Easement · 84 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,429 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 48 of 52 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fokas, et al. Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 326 | Unknown |
| Olsen / Villnave Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 169 | Unknown |
| Popple Island Private Conservation | Not recorded | 139 | Unknown |
| Town of Epsom Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Webster Park - Undeveloped Area Local Park | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
| Old Mountain Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Mount Delight Rd Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
| Griffin Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Whitehouse Acres Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 12 | Unknown |
| Range Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Epsom
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Epsom
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Epsom
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Epsom
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Epsom
Steeles Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Epsom
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Epsom
Fort Mountain1,391 ft elevation
DirectionsMcCoy Mountain1,260 ft elevation
DirectionsNeville Peak1,191 ft elevation · In Epsom Town Forest
DirectionsNats Mountain1,168 ft elevation
DirectionsBrush Hill1,001 ft elevation · In Conservation Easement 2
DirectionsEpsom Mountain965 ft elevation
DirectionsSanborn Hill945 ft elevation
DirectionsBarton Hill840 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
McClary Hill781 ft elevation
DirectionsLockes Hill699 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Epsom
Circle 9 RanchFee
DirectionsLazy River Family CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 30.6 mi
Old Railroad Grade2.3 mi
Fort Mountain Vista Trail1.8 mi
Neville Ridge Scout Foot Trail1.1 mi
Mill Sluice Foot Trail0.6 mi
Eagle Scout Trail0.6 mi
Neville Peak Trail0.3 mi
Mill Pond Trail0.3 mi
Vista Loop Trail0.3 mi
Fort Mt Summit Spur0.1 mi
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
5Baseball
2Tennis
2Basketball
1Soccer
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).
Charles S. Hall HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Epsom: 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 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Epsom →
Next door
Epsom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epsom | 10% | 1.3 | 7 | 21% | B |
| Chichester | 8% | 0.8 | 16 | 7% | B |
| Pittsfield | 10% | 1.6 | 17 | 45% | A− |
| Allenstown | 56% | 3.0 | 1,430 | 87% | A+ |
| Pembroke | 4% | 1.5 | 34 | 58% | A− |
| Deerfield | 23% | 1.0 | 621 | 40% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Epsom
Where can I hike in Epsom?
The longest trail networks: Epsom Town Forest, 6.2 miles; Webster Park, 0.7 miles; Conservation Easement 1, 0.5 miles; Conservation Easement 2, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Epsom is conserved land?
10% 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 Epsom’s trails?
Epsom Town Forest and Webster Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Epsom?
26,840 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Epsom or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 66 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Epsom have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #112 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 Epsom 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 →