West Road Conservation Area
Managed by Hampstead Conservation Commission
229 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dogwood TrailOak TrailHickory TrailLichen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Hampstead Park & Ride
Photo: BakedintheHole · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hampstead
Hampstead has 22 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
19% of Hampstead’s land is conserved, about 1,625 acres. 496 acres are parks and preserves, 55 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: West Road Conservation Area (3.8 mi), Williams Wilderness Conservation Land (3.1 mi), West Road Town Forest (2.5 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #22 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,625 acres · of 13.4 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
496 ac
55 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.9 mi
6.9 mi paths
Highest peak
404 ft
Smith Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Hampstead?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hampstead have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hampstead is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #22 of 126 in New Hampshire. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hampstead’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land55 acres of park per 1,000 residents (496 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 83%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Hampstead’s 19% is ahead of 52% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% 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 West Road Conservation Area, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Williams Wilderness Conservation Land
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
92 acres3.1 mi of trail
Moore LoopCemetery Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
West Road Town Forest
Managed by Hampstead Conservation Commission
132 acres2.5 mi of trail
Moore LoopCemetery Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Duston Parcel
Managed by Southeast Land Trust
53 acres2 mi of trail
Skunk Skull
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Darby Brook Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Hampstead
146 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
French's Woodland Conservation Land
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
39 acres1 mi of trail
French's Woodland
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hampstead Town Conservation Land
Managed by Hampstead Conservation Commission
12 acres0.5 mi of trail
Skunk Skull
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ruth Marshall Forest
Managed by Hampstead Conservation Commission
16 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
West Road Conservation Area229 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Hampstead Conservation Commission
DirectionsWilliams Wilderness Conservation Land92 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
West Road Town Forest132 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Duston Parcel53 acres · 2 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust
Darby Brook Conservation Area146 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Town of Hampstead
French's Woodland Conservation Land39 acres · 1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Hampstead Town Conservation Land12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Ruth Marshall Forest16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Great Swamp Conservation Area199 acres · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Collette's Mountain Conservation Area119 acres · Hampstead & Derry Conservation Commissions
Sawmill Swamp Town Conservation Land47 acres
Witcher Road Town Forest34 acres · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Depot Road Fields24 acres · Town of Hampstead
Shop Pond Park8 acres
WWII Plane Crash Memorial Site7 acres · Hampstead Conservation Commission
Ordway Park6 acres
Holiday Lane Fields5 acres · Town of Hampstead
Meeting House Park2 acres · Town of Hampstead
DirectionsCole Marsh Conservation Area1 acres · Town of Derry
Sawmill Swamp Town Forest1 acres · Town of Atkinson
Who protects it
1,625 conserved acres
19% of Hampstead’s land. Who manages Hampstead’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits849 ac
Town or city437 ac
State natural resources405 ac
Other state land150 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government12 ac
Not recorded443 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,055 acLocal Other or Unknown · 730 acLocal Resource Management Area · 245 acLocal Conservation Area · 193 acUnknown Easement · 52 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 549 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 88 of 96 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Road Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 164 | Unknown |
| Depot Road Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 140 | Unknown |
| Greenbelt B Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Town of Hampstead Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Hadley Road Backland Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 90 | Unknown |
| Randall Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 71 | Unknown |
| Moore Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 66 | Unknown |
| Sawmill Swamp Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
| Ruma, Inc. Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 49 | Unknown |
| Town Dump Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 41 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Hampstead
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hampstead
Hampstead Town Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Hampstead
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Hampstead
Smith Mountain404 ft elevation
DirectionsOsgood Hill364 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hampstead
Camp Tel Noar
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.3 miUnpaved · 4.3 mi
Skunk Skull1.4 mi
Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont Branch1.3 mi
Moore Loop1.2 mi
Dogwood Trail1.1 mi
Oak Trail1.0 mi
Cemetery Loop0.8 mi
Maple Trail0.7 mi
Hickory Trail0.4 mi
Lichen Trail0.4 mi
French's Woodland0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont BranchBike route
1.3 miCourts & fields
7Tennis
6Baseball
3Basketball
2Soccer
1Multi-sport
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).
Hampstead MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hampstead: 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 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hampstead →
Next door
Hampstead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampstead | 19% | 1.6 | 55 | 59% | A |
| Atkinson | 19% | 1.6 | 77 | 86% | A+ |
| Sandown | 13% | 0.9 | 9 | 55% | B+ |
| Derry | 12% | 0.8 | 15 | 58% | B+ |
| Plaistow | 12% | 1.4 | 7 | 48% | B+ |
| Kingston | 21% | 1.3 | 19 | 29% | A− |
| Danville | 12% | 0.9 | 11 | 39% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hampstead
Where can I hike in Hampstead?
The longest trail networks: West Road Conservation Area, 3.8 miles; Williams Wilderness Conservation Land, 3.1 miles; West Road Town Forest, 2.5 miles; Duston Parcel, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hampstead 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 Hampstead’s trails?
West Road Conservation Area and Williams Wilderness Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hampstead?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Rockingham Recreational Trail Fremont Branch.
Is there public land near Hampstead?
10,803 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hampstead or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 496 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hampstead have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #22 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 Hampstead 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 →