Griswold Scout Reservation
Managed by Daniel Webster Council, Inc.
2,302 acres15.1 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue Trail (Blue)Yellow TrailMack Ridge Trail (Orange)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Centre Congregational Church · Photo: Ken Gallager at en.wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Gilmanton
Gilmanton has 775 acres of parks, 193 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Gilmanton’s land is conserved, about 6,902 acres. 54 miles of mapped trail cross Gilmanton, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Griswold Scout Reservation (15.1 mi), Charles G. Kelley Memorial Forest (0.7 mi), Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #52 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
6,902 acres · of 57.9 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
775 ac
193 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,680 ft
Mount Anna
Lakes & rivers
11
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Gilmanton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam193 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild19% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 79% of U.S. towns.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gilmanton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gilmanton is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Gilmanton’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land193 acres of park per 1,000 residents (775 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 59%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Gilmanton’s 19% is ahead of 50% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 22% 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 Griswold Scout Reservation, with 15.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charles G. Kelley Memorial Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
150 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area
Managed by Gilmanton Conservation Commission
514 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pine Hill Town Forest
Managed by Gilmanton Conservation Commission
141 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Elizabeth R. "Betty" Smithers Town Forest
Managed by Gilmanton Conservation Commission
253 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Frank L. Allen Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
127 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Thompson Town Forest
Managed by Gilmanton Conservation Commission
122 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 25 parks & preserves
Griswold Scout Reservation2,302 acres · 15.1 mi of trail · Daniel Webster Council, Inc.
DirectionsCharles G. Kelley Memorial Forest150 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area514 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Pine Hill Town Forest141 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Elizabeth R. "Betty" Smithers Town Forest253 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Frank L. Allen Forest127 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Thompson Town Forest122 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Rocky Pond Mitigation Area64 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Dept. of Transportation
Foss Family Forest211 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Etta & Leon Tilton Memorial Forest210 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Ayers Brook Town Forest II22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Snowshoe Hill Conservation Area17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Page State Forest4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Belknap Mountain State Forest129 acres · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Ayers Brook Town Forest IV66 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Meadow Pond State Forest65 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Nelson Brook Town Forest54 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Sanborn State Forest51 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Meetinghouse Pond Conservation Area44 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Gilmanton Youth Organization Park41 acres
Ella Stroud Memorial Forest34 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Crystal Lake Park12 acres · Town of Gilmanton
Nighthawk Hollow Brook Forest7 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Ayers Brook Town Forest III6 acres · Gilmanton Conservation Commission
Robert Tilton Town Forest1 acres · Town of Gilford
Who protects it
6,902 conserved acres
19% of Gilmanton’s land. Who manages Gilmanton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,177 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2,296 ac
State fish & wildlife2,293 ac
Town or city1,755 ac
State natural resources141 ac
Joint84 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)79 ac
Conservation Easement · 5,700 acUnknown Easement · 3,625 acPrivate Conservation · 1,049 acLocal Resource Management Area · 757 acState Resource Management Area · 267 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,677 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 93 of 129 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth R. "Betty" Smithers Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 253 | Unknown |
| Etta and Leon Tilton Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 210 | Unknown |
| Foss Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 196 | Unknown |
| Pine Hill Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 141 | Unknown |
| Belknap Mountain State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 141 | Unknown |
| Frank L. Allen Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 124 | Unknown |
| Gilmanton Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 123 | Unknown |
| Peterson Deed Restriction Private Conservation | Town or city | 102 | Unknown |
| Fenollosa Private Conservation | Not recorded | 88 | Unknown |
| Harriet Kelley Addition Private Conservation | Not recorded | 76 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Gilmanton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Gilmanton
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Gilmanton
5 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Gilmanton
Mount Anna1,680 ft elevation · In Griswold Scout Reservation
DirectionsDurrell Mountain1,640 ft elevation
DirectionsSwett Mountain1,535 ft elevation
DirectionsGrant Hill1,506 ft elevation
DirectionsPeaked Hill1,457 ft elevation
DirectionsBradford Hill1,368 ft elevation
DirectionsLamprey Hill1,302 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Shannon1,211 ft elevation · In Griswold Scout Reservation
Directions5 more peaks
Parsonage Hill1,129 ft elevation
DirectionsHalls Hill1,079 ft elevation
DirectionsSanborn Hill1,004 ft elevation
DirectionsCogswell Mountain997 ft elevation · In Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area
DirectionsGarret Hill922 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Gilmanton
Camp BellIn Griswold Scout Reservation · Daniel Webster Council, Inc.
DirectionsHidden ValleyDaniel Webster Council, Inc.
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 31.8 mi
Red Trail3.2 mi
Blue Trail (Blue)2.1 mi
Yellow Trail1.4 mi
Mack Ridge Trail (Orange)1.3 mi
Kulash Trail1.0 mi
Orange Trail0.7 mi
Blue / Yellow Merge0.5 mi
Vista Trail (yellow)0.3 mi
Tamarack Terrace0.1 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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Gilmanton: 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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Gilmanton →
Next door
Gilmanton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Gilmanton
Where can I hike in Gilmanton?
The longest trail networks: Griswold Scout Reservation, 15.1 miles; Charles G. Kelley Memorial Forest, 0.7 miles; Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area, 0.6 miles; Pine Hill Town Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gilmanton is conserved land?
19% 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 Gilmanton’s trails?
Griswold Scout Reservation and Charles G. Kelley Memorial Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Gilmanton?
10,922 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gilmanton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 786 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gilmanton have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #52 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 Gilmanton 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 →