Blue Job State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
281 acres3.8 mi of trail
Little Blue Job TrailScruton TrailPond TrailFire Tower Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Farmington
13% of Farmington’s land is conserved: 3,124 acres
39 miles of mapped trail cross Farmington, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Blue Job State Forest (3.8 mi), Scruton Conservation Easement (2.9 mi), Leary Field and Forest (0.5 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #96 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,124 acres · of 36.6 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
82 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,352 ft
Blue Job Mountain
Lakes & rivers
12
What kind of outdoors town is Farmington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Farmington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Farmington is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #96 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Farmington’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (82 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home46% 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 71%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 24%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Farmington’s 13% is ahead of 30% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 36% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Blue Job State Forest, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Scruton Conservation Easement
Managed by NH Fish & Game
603 acres2.9 mi of trail
Little Blue Job TrailFire Tower Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Leary Field and Forest
Managed by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways
62 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tebbetts Hill Reservation
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
178 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Blue Job State Forest281 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
DirectionsScruton Conservation Easement603 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsLeary Field and Forest62 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Moose Mountains Regional Greenways
Tebbetts Hill Reservation178 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsBerry Brook Forest156 acres · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
Rochester Water Protection Land105 acres
Farmington Town Forest56 acres · Farmington Conservation Commission
DirectionsFarmington 500 Paulson Road Fields22 acres
Fred & Nancy Smith Flume Preserve7 acres · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
Elizabeth Fernald Park & Playground3 acres · Town of Farmington
Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land1 acres · Blue Hills Foundation
Who protects it
3,124 conserved acres
13% of Farmington’s land. Who manages Farmington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,781 ac
State fish & wildlife924 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government603 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)529 ac
Private owners263 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land196 ac
Joint159 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,291 acUnknown Easement · 1,025 acState Resource Management Area · 289 acAgricultural Easement · 245 acPrivate Conservation · 189 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,306 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 29 of 59 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Job State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 289 | Unknown |
| Tebbetts Hill Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 179 | Unknown |
| Berry Brook Forest State Other or Unknown | State conservation | 156 | Open |
| Reservoir Pond Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 76 | Unknown |
| Abbotts Grant - Farmington Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Whaleback Pond Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Well Area Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| Rizzo Property Private Conservation | Town or city | 10 | Unknown |
| Mad River Tract II Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Unknown Ball Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Farmington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Farmington
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Farmington
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Farmington
Blue Job Mountain1,352 ft elevation · In Blue Job State Forest
DirectionsLittle Blue Job1,237 ft elevation · In Blue Job State Forest
DirectionsHussey Mountain1,148 ft elevation
DirectionsChesley Mountain1,004 ft elevation
DirectionsNubble Mountain991 ft elevation
DirectionsWhitehouse Mountain732 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.2 miHorses · 3.7 miUnpaved · 24.1 mi
Farmington Recreational Rail-Trail3.7 mi
Little Blue Job Trail0.9 mi
Scruton Trail0.5 mi
Pond Trail0.4 mi
Fire Tower Loop0.4 mi
Tower Loop South0.2 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
4Baseball
3Tennis
1Soccer
1Softball
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 Farmington: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Farmington →
Next door
Farmington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington | 13% | 1.1 | 12 | 46% | B+ |
| Milton | 25% | 1.3 | 17 | 10% | B+ |
| Strafford | 29% | 1.4 | 49 | 15% | A− |
| Rochester | 9% | 1.0 | 15 | 43% | B+ |
| New Durham | 20% | 1.1 | 491 | 22% | A− |
| Barnstead | 5% | 1.1 | 7 | 27% | B− |
| Alton | 13% | 0.9 | 215 | 34% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Farmington
Where can I hike in Farmington?
The longest trail networks: Blue Job State Forest, 3.8 miles; Scruton Conservation Easement, 2.9 miles; Leary Field and Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Farmington is conserved land?
13% 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 Farmington’s trails?
Blue Job State Forest and Scruton Conservation Easement don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Farmington?
9,552 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Farmington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 401 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Farmington have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #96 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 Farmington 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 →