Crotched Mountain Town Forest
Managed by Town of Francestown
856 acres9 mi of trail
Summit East TrailSummit West TrailScott's TrailSummit Link Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Francestown
33% of Francestown’s land is conserved: 6,328 acres
58 miles of mapped trail cross Francestown, 2.0 per square mile of land. 316 acres are parks and preserves, 226 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Crotched Mountain Town Forest (9 mi), Rand Brook Forest (2.6 mi), Fisher Hill Town Forest (2.3 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
6,328 acres · of 29.8 sq mi of land
Trails
58 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
316 ac
226 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
27%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,067 ft
Crotched Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Francestown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild33% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.A trail town2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.Room to roam226 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Francestown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Francestown is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Francestown’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (58 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land226 acres of park per 1,000 residents (316 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home27% 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 90%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Francestown’s 33% is ahead of 91% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% 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 Crotched Mountain Town Forest, with 9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rand Brook Forest
Managed by Francestown Land Trust
502 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fisher Hill Town Forest
Managed by Town of Francestown
44 acres2.3 mi of trail
Putnam Loop TrailPerimeter TrailFisher Hill TrailRoad To Nowhere+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dinsmore Brook Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Francestown
287 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Diane & John R. Schott Brennan Falls Reserve
Managed by Francestown Land Trust
147 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shattuck Pond Town Forest
Managed by Town of Francestown
414 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Collins Brook Headwaters
Managed by Francestown Land Trust
100 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Crotched Mountain Town Forest856 acres · 9 mi of trail · Town of Francestown
DirectionsRand Brook Forest502 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Francestown Land Trust
DirectionsFisher Hill Town Forest44 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Town of Francestown
DirectionsDinsmore Brook Conservation Area287 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Town of Francestown
Diane & John R. Schott Brennan Falls Reserve147 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Francestown Land Trust
DirectionsShattuck Pond Town Forest414 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Francestown
Collins Brook Headwaters100 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Francestown Land Trust
Jack & Margaret Hoffman Wilderness Sanctuary130 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Northeast Wilderness Trust
DirectionsDennison Pond Forest52 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Driscoll Hill Town Forest47 acres · Town of Francestown
Dorothy & Herman C. Miller Family Memorial Forest37 acres · Francestown Land Trust
Lord Town Forest27 acres · Town of Francestown
F.L. Hill Wetland23 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Piscataquog River Town Forest7 acres · Town of Francestown
Deland Memorial Forest2 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Fleck Conservation Area1 acres · Town of Greenfield
Who protects it
6,328 conserved acres
33% of Francestown’s land. Who manages Francestown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,499 ac
Other state land1,185 ac
Town or city903 ac
Joint623 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government441 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)99 ac
State conservation11 ac
Conservation Easement · 6,015 acUnknown Easement · 2,040 acLocal Other or Unknown · 726 acPrivate Conservation · 503 acLocal Recreation Area · 414 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,174 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 178 of 208 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shattuck Pond Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 488 | Open |
| SPNHF (King) Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 381 | Unknown |
| Crotched Mountain Unknown | Not recorded | 257 | Unknown |
| Merrill Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 156 | Unknown |
| Seamans Private Conservation | Not recorded | 106 | Unknown |
| Collins Brook Headwaters State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 97 | Open |
| Harrigan - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 91 | Unknown |
| Moulton Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 67 | Open |
| Kingsbury Timber Corp. - Whiting Brook Lot Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 65 | Unknown |
| Crotched Mountain Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 56 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Francestown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Francestown
Brennan FallsIn Diane & John R. Schott Brennan Falls Reserve
DirectionsPeaks in Francestown
Crotched Mountain2,067 ft elevation
DirectionsCandlewood Hill1,299 ft elevation
DirectionsCampbell Hill1,283 ft elevation · In Jack & Margaret Hoffman Wilderness Sanctuary
DirectionsBible Hill1,273 ft elevation
DirectionsBullard Hill1,260 ft elevation
DirectionsBradford Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsKingsbury Hill1,047 ft elevation
DirectionsLincoln Hill1,040 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.9 miUnpaved · 35.4 mi
Summit East Trail2.2 mi
Summit West Trail1.5 mi
Scott's Trail1.3 mi
Road To Nowhere1.2 mi
Route 661.0 mi
Summit Link Trail0.8 mi
Putnam Loop Trail0.7 mi
Perimeter Trail0.7 mi
My Corona0.7 mi
92 Subaru0.6 mi
15 more trails
Fisher Hill Trail
0.6 miChasing Cars
0.6 miUpper Link Trail
0.4 miDriver's Seat
0.4 miOld County Road South
0.4 miBumpy Ride
0.4 miQuarry Trail
0.3 miDutton Brook AccessibleTrail
0.3 miRunnin Down A Dream
0.3 miSidecar
0.3 miLower Link Trail
0.3 miGetaway Car
0.3 miSaint Jean's Trail
0.2 miBlack Gum Loop Trail
0.2 miBlueberry Loop
0.2 miLakes & 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
3Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Francestown: 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) | 31 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Francestown →
Next door
Francestown and its neighbors
Francestown has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francestown | 33% | 2.0 | 226 | 27% | A |
| Bennington | 11% | 1.2 | 72 | 30% | A− |
| Greenfield | 30% | 1.5 | 334 | 30% | A |
| New Boston | 19% | 1.1 | 72 | 22% | A− |
| Deering | 34% | 1.2 | 223 | 14% | A− |
| Weare | 24% | 1.1 | 115 | 23% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Francestown
Where can I hike in Francestown?
The longest trail networks: Crotched Mountain Town Forest, 9 miles; Rand Brook Forest, 2.6 miles; Fisher Hill Town Forest, 2.3 miles; Dinsmore Brook Conservation Area, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Francestown is conserved land?
33% 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 Francestown’s trails?
Crotched Mountain Town Forest and Rand Brook Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Francestown?
8,918 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Francestown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 792 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Francestown have?
Ahead of 90% 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 Francestown 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 →