Hampton Town Forest
Nature preserve
96 acres0.8 mi of trail
Warren's TrailLast Gasp
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Benjamin James House · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hampton
11% of Hampton’s land is conserved: 952 acres
The biggest trail networks: Hampton Town Forest (0.8 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6.0 miles of mapped trail cross Hampton, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #100 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
952 acres · of 12.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.0 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
184 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
5.1 mi paths
Highest peak
148 ft
Bride Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
5 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hampton is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #100 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hampton’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (184 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home78% 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 70%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 21%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Hampton’s 11% is ahead of 20% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 2% of them.
Water is 12% of Hampton’s area (2 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Hampton Town Forest, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hampton Beach State Park
Managed by New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
89 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Saltmarsh Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
77 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Olive and Robert ‘Vic’ Lessard Wildlife Preserve
Nature preserve
64 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Hampton Town Forest96 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Harborside Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Seabrook
Hampton Beach State Park89 acres · New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
DirectionsSaltmarsh Wildlife Management Area77 acres · New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
Olive and Robert ‘Vic’ Lessard Wildlife Preserve64 acres
Batchelder Park33 acres
North Beach32 acres · New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
DirectionsEaton Park15 acres
DirectionsHampton Recreation Park7 acres
North Side Park2 acres · Town of Hampton
Marsh Lane Preserve1 acres · Hampton Falls Conservation Commission
Founders Park1 acres
5 Corners Park1 acres
Who protects it
952 conserved acres
11% of Hampton’s land. Water is left out: Hampton has 12.9 square miles of land and 1.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency285 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)159 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits147 ac
Joint118 ac
Town or city73 ac
State fish & wildlife23 ac
Not recorded610 ac
Conservation Easement · 440 acState Park · 224 acLocal Other or Unknown · 185 acAgricultural Easement · 159 acOther Easement · 131 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 295 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 61 of 80 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Beach State Park State Park | Not recorded | 224 | Unknown |
| Hampton Water Works Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
| Batchelder Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Perkins Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Unknown |
| Town of Hampton Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 28 | Unknown |
| F&G Hampton Saltmarsh - SPNHF State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| SPNHF Saltmarsh - Penniman Private Conservation | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Exeter Expressway Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| ASNH Hampton Saltmarsh - SPNHF Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| McRae Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Hampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hampton
Hampton BeachIn Hampton Beach State Park
DirectionsNorth Beach
DirectionsPlaice Cove
DirectionsPlaice Cove Beach
DirectionsSouth BeachIn Hampton Beach State Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Hampton
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Hampton
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hampton
Bride Hill148 ft elevation
DirectionsCoffin Hill112 ft elevation
DirectionsCar Barn Hill98 ft elevation
DirectionsWolf Hill46 ft elevation
DirectionsHemp Plain Hill
DirectionsPicnic areas in Hampton
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Hampton
Tidewater Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miUnpaved · 4.0 mi
Warren's Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
9Tennis
7Basketball
5Baseball
5Softball
5Tracks
2Football
2Multi-sport
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hampton: 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) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hampton →
Next door
Hampton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 11% | 0.5 | 11 | 78% | B+ |
| Hampton Falls | 15% | 0.7 | 59 | 39% | A− |
| North Hampton | 23% | 0.7 | 90 | 67% | A |
| Hampton Beach | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Seabrook | 8% | 0.9 | 9 | 74% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hampton
Where can I hike in Hampton?
The longest trail networks: Hampton Town Forest, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hampton is conserved land?
11% 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 Hampton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Hampton Town Forest. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hampton?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hampton?
13,939 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 300 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #100 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 Hampton 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 →