Surry Mountain Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
1,166 acres7 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Gilsum
Few parks or trails are on the map in Gilsum
The biggest trail networks: Surry Mountain Preserve (7 mi), John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest (0.9 mi), Bear's Den Natural Area (0.9 mi). 29% of Gilsum’s land is conserved, about 3,144 acres. 1,252 acres are parks and preserves, 1,748 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
29%
3,144 acres · of 16.7 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,252 ac
1,748 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,512 ft
Eaton Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
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 Surry Mountain Preserve, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest
Managed by Monadnock Conservancy
198 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bear's Den Natural Area
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
96 acres0.9 mi of trail
Orange Dot
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Andorra Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
88 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Surry Mountain Preserve1,166 acres · 7 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsJohn and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest198 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Monadnock Conservancy
DirectionsBear's Den Natural Area96 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
DirectionsMaynard Forest79 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Monadnock Conservancy
Andorra Forest88 acres · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Emerson Brook Forest32 acres
Alstead Conservation Land1 acres · Alstead Conservation Commission
Who protects it
3,144 conserved acres
29% of Gilsum’s land. Who manages Gilsum’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,768 ac
Town or city229 ac
Joint17 ac
Other state land5 ac
Not recorded242 ac
Private Conservation · 1,876 acConservation Easement · 1,697 acUnknown Easement · 549 acState Conservation Area · 105 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,128 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 32 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surry Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,223 | Open |
| Tibbetts (D) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 240 | Unknown |
| Gilsum Woods Association Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 229 | Unknown |
| Bears Den Natural Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Maynard Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 80 | Unknown |
| Maynard Forest - Lake Addition Private Conservation | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Calhoun Addition Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Unknown |
| Tibbetts (A) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Unknown |
| Tibbetts (F) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 16 | Unknown |
| Tibbetts (B) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 11 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Gilsum
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Gilsum
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Gilsum
Eaton Hill1,512 ft elevation
DirectionsWebster Hill1,506 ft elevation · In Surry Mountain Preserve
DirectionsWright Hill1,296 ft elevation
DirectionsSmith Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsBingham Hill1,224 ft elevation · In Bear's Den Natural Area
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Orange Dot0.2 mi
Lakes & 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
1Tennis
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).
Gilsum Stone Arch BridgeStructure · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Gilsum: May and 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 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Gilsum →
Next door
Gilsum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilsum | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sullivan | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marlow | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alstead | 6% | 0.8 | 24 | 16% | B |
| Surry | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Keene | 22% | 2.2 | 103 | 84% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gilsum
Where can I hike in Gilsum?
The longest trail networks: Surry Mountain Preserve, 7 miles; John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest, 0.9 miles; Bear's Den Natural Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Gilsum’s trails?
Surry Mountain Preserve and John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Gilsum?
12,373 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gilsum or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,269 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Gilsum 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 →