Manchester Waterworks
Managed by City of Manchester
1,882 acres6.6 mi of trail
Fire Road 80Chester TurnpikeFerret TrailLost Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hooksett
25% of Hooksett’s land is conserved: 5,711 acres
1,439 acres are parks and preserves, 96 per 1,000 residents. 42 miles of mapped trail cross Hooksett, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks (6.6 mi), Bear Brook State Park (5.4 mi), Massabesic Headwaters Preserve (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #54 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
5,711 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,439 ac
96 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
876 ft
Quimby Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hooksett?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hooksett have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hooksett is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #54 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 Hooksett’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land96 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,439 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home24% 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 58%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Hooksett’s 25% is ahead of 75% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 46% of them.
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 Manchester Waterworks, with 6.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bear Brook State Park
Nature preserve
971 acres5.4 mi of trail
Lost TrailHall Mountain TrailFerret TrailChester Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Massabesic Headwaters Preserve
Managed by Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
1,394 acres2.6 mi of trail
Chester Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clay Pond Headwaters Conservation Area
Managed by Hooksett Conservation Commission
751 acres2.5 mi of trail
Ferret Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Head's Pond Conservation Area
Managed by Hooksett Conservation Commission
436 acres1.2 mi of trail
Heads Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pinnacle Park
Managed by Hooksett Conservation Commission
42 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Quimby Mountain
Managed by Hooksett Conservation Commission
100 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Manchester Waterworks1,882 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · City of Manchester
Bear Brook State Park971 acres · 5.4 mi of trail
Massabesic Headwaters Preserve1,394 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
Clay Pond Headwaters Conservation Area751 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Hooksett Conservation Commission
Head's Pond Conservation Area436 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Hooksett Conservation Commission
DirectionsPinnacle Park42 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Hooksett Conservation Commission
DirectionsQuimby Mountain100 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Hooksett Conservation Commission
Peters Brook Park15 acres
Merrimack River Boat Access Facility2 acres
DirectionsLambert Park2 acres · Town of Hooksett
DirectionsNottingcook Forest1 acres · Town of Bow
Fraser Memorial Park1 acres
Veterans Park At Jacob Square1 acres · Town of Hooksett
Who protects it
5,711 conserved acres
25% of Hooksett’s land. Who manages Hooksett’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,722 ac
State natural resources985 ac
Town or city925 ac
State fish & wildlife823 ac
State conservation391 ac
Joint91 ac
Other state land4 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,611 acWatershed Protection Area · 1,925 acUnknown Easement · 1,533 acState Conservation Area · 1,204 acPrivate Conservation · 486 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,944 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 70 of 122 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Water Works Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 1,903 | Unknown |
| Bear Brook State Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 985 | Unknown |
| Great Marsh Preserve Private Conservation | State conservation | 391 | Open |
| Hinman Pond II State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 219 | Restricted |
| Laurel Road Conservation Restriction Private Conservation | Town or city | 95 | Unknown |
| Pinnacle Park Local Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 36 | Unknown |
| Donati Memorial Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Carriage Hill Open Space 1 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Unknown |
| Town of Hooksett Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
| Pinnacle Pond Wells Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Hooksett
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hooksett
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Hooksett
Hooksett Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Hooksett
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hooksett
Quimby Mountain876 ft elevation
DirectionsCampbell Hill554 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill476 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Pinnacle410 ft elevation · In Pinnacle Park
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.8 miHorses · 5.9 miUnpaved · 14.5 mi
Chester Turnpike3.1 mi
Lost Trail1.8 mi
Heads Pond Trail1.7 mi
Fire Road 801.5 mi
Hall Mountain Trail1.5 mi
Ferret Trail1.4 mi
Hooksett Riverwalk Trail1.2 mi
Allenstown Rail Trail0.1 mi
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
11Tennis
10Baseball
8Basketball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
2Soccer
1Softball
1Skate park
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).
Robie's Country StoreBuilding · listed 2000
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hooksett: 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 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hooksett →
Next door
Hooksett and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bow80 miAllenstown62 miAuburn59 miHooksett42 miManchester35 miCandia25 miSuncook7.9 miSouth Hooksett0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooksett | 25% | 1.2 | 96 | 24% | A− |
| Manchester | 14% | 1.1 | 7 | 89% | A− |
| South Hooksett | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Allenstown | 56% | 3.0 | 1,430 | 87% | A+ |
| Auburn | 32% | 2.3 | 22 | 52% | A |
| Suncook | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Candia | 15% | 0.8 | 100 | 35% | A− |
| Bow | 21% | 2.9 | 183 | 68% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hooksett
Where can I hike in Hooksett?
The longest trail networks: Manchester Waterworks, 6.6 miles; Bear Brook State Park, 5.4 miles; Massabesic Headwaters Preserve, 2.6 miles; Clay Pond Headwaters Conservation Area, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hooksett is conserved land?
25% 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 Hooksett’s trails?
Manchester Waterworks and Bear Brook State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hooksett?
24,348 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hooksett or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,368 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hooksett have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #54 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 Hooksett 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 →