Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir
Managed by United States Army Corps of Engineers
1,761 acres9.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bennett Farm · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Henniker
19% of Henniker’s land is conserved: 5,413 acres
60 miles of mapped trail cross Henniker, 1.4 per square mile of land. 297 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir (9.1 mi), Contoocook River Access (0.6 mi), Dudley Pond Forest (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #39 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,413 acres · of 44.1 sq mi of land
Trails
60 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
297 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
4.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,378 ft
Craney Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Henniker?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Henniker have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Henniker is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #39 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Henniker’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (60 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (297 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home53% 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 87%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 70%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Henniker’s 19% is ahead of 54% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% 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 Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir, with 9.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Contoocook River Access
Managed by NH Fish & Game
25 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dudley Pond Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
238 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Penelope and John Dawson Memorial Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
158 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir1,761 acres · 9.1 mi of trail · United States Army Corps of Engineers
DirectionsContoocook River Access25 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsDudley Pond Forest238 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Vincent State Forest8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Penelope and John Dawson Memorial Forest158 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Foster Conservancy155 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Totten Trails State Forest108 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Old Concord Road Athletic Fields19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAzalea Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Henniker
DirectionsColby Hill Forest107 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Watman Conservation Area76 acres · Henniker Conservation Commission
Buehler / Salmen Forest55 acres
Charles & Ethel Eastman Conservation Area14 acres · Weare Conservation Commission
Ames State Forest13 acres · NH Department of Resources & Economic Development
Farrar Marsh Wildlife Management Area3 acres · NH Fish & Game
Deering Wildlife Sanctuary2 acres · Audubon Society of New Hampshire
Town Green1 acres
DirectionsHenniker Community Park1 acres
Who protects it
5,413 conserved acres
19% of Henniker’s land. Who manages Henniker’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,632 ac
State natural resources1,790 ac
Army Corps of Engineers662 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government295 ac
Town or city90 ac
Joint78 ac
Not recorded1,209 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,823 acFederal Other or Unknown · 1,790 acUnknown Easement · 1,245 acPrivate Conservation · 862 acOther Easement · 330 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,349 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 161 of 177 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkinton-Everett Flood Control Reservoir Federal Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 1,790 | Unknown |
| Dudley Pond Forest, Spakoski-Sorrels Tract Private Conservation | Not recorded | 240 | Open |
| Foster Conservancy Private Conservation | Not recorded | 158 | Unknown |
| New England College Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 133 | Unknown |
| Colby Hill Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 113 | Unknown |
| Totten Trails State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 107 | Unknown |
| Goodband Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 75 | Unknown |
| Hilltop Estates Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 64 | Unknown |
| Buehler / Salmen Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
| Cogswell Springs Water Works Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 53 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Henniker
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Henniker
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Henniker
River Road Boat LaunchIn Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Henniker
Keyser Pond
DirectionsPeaks in Henniker
Craney Hill1,378 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Hunger1,329 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Hill1,319 ft elevation
DirectionsColby Hill1,234 ft elevation · In Colby Hill Forest
DirectionsLiberty Hill1,188 ft elevation
DirectionsWadsworth Hill1,056 ft elevation
DirectionsBuck Hill1,040 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Misery1,040 ft elevation
Directions7 more peaks
Morrill Hill1,030 ft elevation
DirectionsShaker Hill922 ft elevation
DirectionsWindsor Ward Peak922 ft elevation
DirectionsClough Hill807 ft elevation
DirectionsProctor Hill784 ft elevation
DirectionsFoster Hill761 ft elevation
DirectionsGoves Hill745 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Henniker
Spacious Skies / French Pond campgroundSpacious Skies
DirectionsSpacious Skies French PondSpacious Skies
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 21.7 miUnpaved · 35.4 mi
Proctor Hills0.5 mi
Wiggins Trace0.1 mi
Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
3Tennis
2Soccer
1Football
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Henniker: 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 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Henniker →
Next door
Henniker and its neighbors
Henniker has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henniker | 19% | 1.4 | 48 | 53% | A |
| Hillsborough | 19% | 1.0 | 63 | 41% | A− |
| Hopkinton | 30% | 1.3 | 52 | 36% | 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 Henniker
Where can I hike in Henniker?
The longest trail networks: Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir, 9.1 miles; Contoocook River Access, 0.6 miles; Dudley Pond Forest, 0.5 miles; Penelope and John Dawson Memorial Forest, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Henniker 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 Henniker’s trails?
Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir and Contoocook River Access don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Henniker?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Henniker?
13,406 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Henniker or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 297 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Henniker have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #39 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 Henniker 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 →