Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0The biggest trail networks: Pondicherry Division of Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (7.3 mi). 2% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 32 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Jefferson’s 38% is ahead of 93% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 5% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Pondicherry Division of Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, with 7.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
38% of Jefferson’s land. Who manages Jefferson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,508 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silvio O. Conte National Fish And Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 7,304 | Restricted |
| White Mountain Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,325 | Open |
| White Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,299 | Open |
| Town of Whitefield Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 127 | Unknown |
| Lovell/Lottero Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 99 | Unknown |
| Agnew State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Presidential Recreational Trail State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 84 | Unknown |
| Robert W. Durant Natural Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 10 | Open |
| Whitefield Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Ackerman Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 38% | 0.6 | 10 | 2% | B |
| Carroll | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Whitefield | 16% | 0.9 | 3 | 39% | B |
| Lancaster | 14% | 0.5 | 222 | 44% | A− |
| Randolph | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Pondicherry Division of Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, 7.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
38% 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.
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Pondicherry Division of Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
109,667 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,744 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 57% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Jefferson neighbors.
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 →