Fox State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
1,462 acres19 mi of trail
Ridge TrailMud Pond TrailWhite Cross TrailFisher Cat Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Franklin Pierce Homestead · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hillsborough
19% of Hillsborough’s land is conserved: 5,244 acres
376 acres are parks and preserves, 63 per 1,000 residents. 44 miles of mapped trail cross Hillsborough, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Fox State Forest (19 mi), Low State Forest (2.7 mi), Riverwalk (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #58 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,244 acres · of 43.7 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
376 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,759 ft
Thompson Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Hillsborough?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillsborough is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #58 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 Hillsborough’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (376 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home41% 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 83%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 54%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Hillsborough’s 19% is ahead of 50% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 28% 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 Fox State Forest, with 19 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Low State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
700 acres2.7 mi of trail
Low State Forest
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Riverwalk
Managed by Town of Hillsborough
64 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Farrar Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
599 acres1.1 mi of trail
Farrar Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
The Cottrell Place
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
105 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Fox State Forest1,462 acres · 19 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Low State Forest700 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Riverwalk64 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Hillsborough
Farrar Marsh Wildlife Management Area599 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
The Cottrell Place105 acres · 1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Grimes Field16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Contoocook River Access4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Gleason Falls3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Hillsborough
Penelope and John Dawson Memorial Forest513 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Wenny-Baker Forest on Thompson Hill245 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Chute Forest124 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Manahan Park43 acres · Town of Hillsborough
House Rock21 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Beards Brook Park3 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Knapton Lot3 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Kemp Park1 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Who protects it
5,244 conserved acres
19% of Hillsborough’s land. Who manages Hillsborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,319 ac
State natural resources692 ac
Town or city222 ac
Joint56 ac
Not recorded2,684 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,172 acPrivate Conservation · 1,268 acUnknown Easement · 1,161 acLocal Other or Unknown · 919 acState Resource Management Area · 673 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,670 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 58 of 84 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 673 | Unknown |
| Farrar Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 617 | Unknown |
| Seymour B Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 468 | Unknown |
| Wenny - Baker Forest on Thompson Hill Private Conservation | Not recorded | 371 | Closed |
| Lewis Farm Private Conservation | Not recorded | 275 | Unknown |
| Goodband Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 160 | Unknown |
| The Cottrell Place Private Conservation | Not recorded | 123 | Unknown |
| Chute Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 122 | Unknown |
| Dawson Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 81 | Open |
| Shedd Brook Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 66 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Hillsborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hillsborough
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Hillsborough
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Hillsborough
Gleason Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Hillsborough
Thompson Hill1,759 ft elevation · In Wenny-Baker Forest on Thompson Hill
DirectionsJones Hill1,631 ft elevation
DirectionsStowe Hill1,578 ft elevation
DirectionsCampbell Mountain1,391 ft elevation
DirectionsMurdough Hill1,332 ft elevation
DirectionsKimball Hill1,263 ft elevation
DirectionsSulphur Hill1,257 ft elevation
DirectionsMonroe Hill1,155 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Peaked Hill1,014 ft elevation
DirectionsBible Hill853 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
20 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.8 miHorses · 12.7 miUnpaved · 33.2 mi
Ridge Trail8.5 mi
Low State Forest2.7 mi
Farrar Marsh State Wildlife Management Area2.0 mi
Shedd Brook Conservation Area1.6 mi
Confluence Trail Conservation Area0.9 mi
Mud Pond Trail0.7 mi
Sand Brook Conservation Area (Lake Lot)0.7 mi
White Cross Trail0.6 mi
Fisher Cat Trail0.5 mi
Gould Pond Trail0.5 mi
10 more trails
Mushroom Trail
0.3 miMolly Jackson Swamp Trail
0.3 miSwamp Trail
0.3 miBeard Brook Park and Bible Hill Cemetery Trail
0.3 miRabbit Trail
0.2 miOld Hillsborough
0.2 miLedge Trail
0.2 miMonroe Hill Trail
0.2 miBarred Owl Trail
0.2 miWhite Tail Pass
0.1 miLakes & 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
9Baseball
7Soccer
2Tennis
1Skate park
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hillsborough: 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 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hillsborough →
Next door
Hillsborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough | 19% | 1.0 | 63 | 41% | A− |
| Deering | 34% | 1.2 | 223 | 14% | A− |
| Henniker | 19% | 1.4 | 48 | 53% | A |
| Windsor | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bradford | 13% | 0.6 | 81 | 38% | A− |
| Antrim | 22% | 1.0 | 2 | 24% | B− |
| Washington | 38% | 1.3 | 4,964 | 42% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hillsborough
Where can I hike in Hillsborough?
The longest trail networks: Fox State Forest, 19 miles; Low State Forest, 2.7 miles; Riverwalk, 1.3 miles; Farrar Marsh Wildlife Management Area, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough’s trails?
Fox State Forest and Low State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hillsborough?
15,646 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillsborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 376 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #58 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 Hillsborough 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 →