Prospect Farm
Managed by Town of Jackson
445 acres4 mi of trail
Wildcat Valley TrailHubs LoopFR 810AOrchard Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Accurizer · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Jackson
More than half of Jackson’s land is conserved: 78%
78% of Jackson’s land is conserved, about 33,499 acres. 464 acres are parks and preserves, 517 per 1,000 residents. 113 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson, 1.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
78%
33,499 acres · of 66.8 sq mi of land
Trails
113 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
464 ac
517 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi paths
Highest peak
3,314 ft
Black Mountain
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson’s overall grade.
Conserved land78% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (113 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land517 acres of park per 1,000 residents (464 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home25% 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 91%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson’s 78% is ahead of 100% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% 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 Prospect Farm, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tin Mountain Conservation Center
Nature preserve
216 acres3.9 mi of trail
Tin Mountain Summit LoopLoop to PondPond LoopsMain Route to Pond+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dundee Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
512 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pinkham Notch Scenic Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
507 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Prospect Farm445 acres · 4 mi of trail · Town of Jackson
DirectionsTin Mountain Conservation Center216 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsDundee Forest512 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Pinkham Notch Scenic Area507 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Dundee Community Forest - Tin Mountain Tract308 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
Dundee Community Forest - Doubletree Tract215 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
DirectionsDundee Community Forest - Thorn Mountain Tract110 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
Old Pinkham Farm61 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
DirectionsSimone Preserve42 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
DirectionsSandquist Preserve23 acres · Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
Who protects it
33,499 conserved acres
78% of Jackson’s land. Who manages Jackson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service31,187 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,231 ac
Town or city1,006 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)120 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land117 ac
Not recorded1,035 ac
National Forest · 31,187 acConservation Easement · 2,237 acPrivate Conservation · 796 acLocal Other or Unknown · 458 acUnknown Easement · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,134 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 28 of 41 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 31,187 | Open |
| Dundee Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 517 | Unknown |
| Prospect Farm Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 458 | Unknown |
| Nichols / Wildcat River Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 218 | Unknown |
| Simone Private Conservation | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
| Sandquist Private Conservation | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
Things to do
19 places to go in Jackson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Jackson
Wentworth Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Jackson
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Jackson
Jackson Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Jackson
Halls Ledge OverlookIn Prospect Farm
DirectionsViewIn Prospect Farm
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Jackson
Black Mountain3,314 ft elevation
DirectionsChandler Mountain3,281 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Doublehead3,025 ft elevation
DirectionsSouth Doublehead2,854 ft elevation
DirectionsMaple Mountain2,602 ft elevation
DirectionsSpruce Mountain2,264 ft elevation
DirectionsThorn Mountain2,264 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Knoll2,247 ft elevation
Directions5 more peaks
Green Hill2,165 ft elevation
DirectionsPopple Mountain2,080 ft elevation
DirectionsTin Mountain2,018 ft elevation · In Tin Mountain Conservation Center
DirectionsMiddle Mountain1,818 ft elevation
DirectionsEagle Mountain1,588 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 41.6 mi
Rocky Branch Trail5.1 mi
East Branch Trail3.8 mi
FR 2383.6 mi
East Branch Trail (Not Maintained)3.2 mi
Wildcat Valley Trail3.0 mi
Ellis River Trail2.9 mi
Wildcat River Trail2.4 mi
FR 2332.4 mi
FR 50392.3 mi
FR 50352.2 mi
15 more trails
Bog Brook Trail
2.1 miFR 238B
1.8 miFR 5014
1.8 miFR 512
1.7 miFR 325
1.7 miBald Land Trail
1.7 miHalls Ledge Trail
1.5 miAvalanche Brook Ski Trail
1.5 miDoublehead Ski Trail
1.5 miBlack Mountain Ski Trail
1.5 miHutmen's Trail
1.3 miNew Path
1.3 miFR 5038
1.2 miEast Pasture Trail
1.2 miWild River Trail
1.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
1Baseball
1Basketball
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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Jackson: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 71 | 76 | 74 | 67 | 54 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
February is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 6.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson →
Next door
Jackson and its neighbors
Jackson has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson
Where can I hike in Jackson?
The longest trail networks: Prospect Farm, 4 miles; Tin Mountain Conservation Center, 3.9 miles; Dundee Forest, 0.4 miles; Pinkham Notch Scenic Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson is conserved land?
78% 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 Jackson’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Prospect Farm. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Jackson?
160,067 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 26,158 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Jackson 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 →