Rhododendron State Park
Park
611 acres2.3 mi of trail
Metacomet Monadnock Trail (White)Little Monadnock TrailRhododendron Loop TrailWildflower Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fitzwilliam Common Historic District · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fitzwilliam
Fitzwilliam has 741 acres of parks, 325 for every 1,000 residents
35 miles of mapped trail cross Fitzwilliam, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Rhododendron State Park (2.3 mi), Widow Gage Town Forest (2 mi), Katie Metzger Town Forest (0.7 mi). 8% of Fitzwilliam’s land is conserved, about 1,767 acres.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #85 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,767 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
741 ac
325 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
1,873 ft
Little Monadnock Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Fitzwilliam?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fitzwilliam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fitzwilliam is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #85 of 126 in New Hampshire. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fitzwilliam’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land325 acres of park per 1,000 residents (741 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home16% 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 75%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 33%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Fitzwilliam’s 8% is ahead of 7% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% 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 Rhododendron State Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Widow Gage Town Forest
Managed by Town of Fitzwilliam
74 acres2 mi of trail
Blue trail (Widow Gage)Red trail (Widow Gage)Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Katie Metzger Town Forest
Nature preserve
68 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rosalind & Fred Slavic Wilderness Preserve
Managed by Northeast Wilderness Trust
279 acres0.3 mi of trail
Little Monadnock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chamberlain Conservation Area
Managed by Monadnock Conservancy
77 acres0.3 mi of trail
Sip Pond Peninsula TrailMonadnock Recreational Rail Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Rhododendron State Park611 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWidow Gage Town Forest74 acres · 2 mi of trail · Town of Fitzwilliam
DirectionsKatie Metzger Town Forest68 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Rosalind & Fred Slavic Wilderness Preserve279 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Northeast Wilderness Trust
Chamberlain Conservation Area77 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Monadnock Conservancy
Pearly Lake Wildlife Management Area30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Grant State Forest8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Fitzwilliam Town Forest176 acres · Town of Fitzwilliam
Taft Hill Wildlife Conservation Easement2 acres
Who protects it
1,767 conserved acres
8% of Fitzwilliam’s land. Who manages Fitzwilliam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits806 ac
State natural resources260 ac
Other state land221 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government51 ac
Town or city1 ac
Not recorded1,112 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,260 acState Park · 483 acLocal Other or Unknown · 387 acLocal Resource Management Area · 79 acPrivate Conservation · 77 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 654 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 29 of 40 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhododendron State Park State Park | Not recorded | 483 | Unknown |
| Town Forest Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 164 | Unknown |
| Sip Pond North Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
| Fitzwilliam Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 79 | Unknown |
| Chamberlain Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 76 | Open |
| Meserve LVT State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 70 | Unknown |
| Scott Brook Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 65 | Unknown |
| Bowker Pond Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 31 | Unknown |
| Richmond Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Sip Pond South Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Fitzwilliam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fitzwilliam
Fitzwilliam Town Beach on Laurel Lake
DirectionsPeaks in Fitzwilliam
Little Monadnock Mountain1,873 ft elevation · In Rhododendron State Park
DirectionsThe Pinnacle1,532 ft elevation
DirectionsWebb Hill1,362 ft elevation
DirectionsBrigham Hill1,329 ft elevation
DirectionsGrant Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsFullam Hill1,240 ft elevation
DirectionsHayden Hill1,240 ft elevation
DirectionsBrigham Hill1,194 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Beebe Hill1,125 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.6 miUnpaved · 13.2 mi
Monadnock Recreational Rail Trail8.1 mi
Metacomet Monadnock Trail (White)1.1 mi
Blue trail (Widow Gage)0.9 mi
Little Monadnock Trail0.9 mi
Red trail (Widow Gage)0.5 mi
Rhododendron Loop Trail0.4 mi
Metacomet-Monadnock Trail0.3 mi
Sip Pond Peninsula Trail0.2 mi
Wildflower Trail0.2 mi
Laurel Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Cheshire Recreational Rail TrailBike route
8.6 miCourts & fields
3Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Fitzwilliam: May and July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Fitzwilliam →
Next door
Fitzwilliam and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Fitzwilliam
Where can I hike in Fitzwilliam?
The longest trail networks: Rhododendron State Park, 2.3 miles; Widow Gage Town Forest, 2 miles; Katie Metzger Town Forest, 0.7 miles; Rosalind & Fred Slavic Wilderness Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fitzwilliam is conserved land?
8% 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 Fitzwilliam’s trails?
Rhododendron State Park and Widow Gage Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fitzwilliam?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: Cheshire Recreational Rail Trail.
Is there public land near Fitzwilliam?
54,027 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fitzwilliam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 834 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fitzwilliam have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #85 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 Fitzwilliam 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 →