Tucker and French Family Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
538 acres6.5 mi of trail
Tucker TrailMill Pond LoopFrench South TrailPatten Island Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Tucker & French Parking
Photo: Laperkins · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kingston
21% of Kingston’s land is conserved: 2,619 acres
25 miles of mapped trail cross Kingston, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Tucker and French Family Forest (6.5 mi), Valley Lane Town Forest (2.2 mi), Acorn Town Forest (2 mi). 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #86 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
2,619 acres · of 19.8 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
120 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
256 ft
Misery Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Kingston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kingston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kingston is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #86 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 Kingston’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (120 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13BParks close to home29% 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 75%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 32%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Kingston’s 21% is ahead of 59% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% of them.
Water is 6% of Kingston’s area (1 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Tucker and French Family Forest, with 6.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Valley Lane Town Forest
Managed by Town of Kingston
144 acres2.2 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailOrange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Acorn Town Forest
Managed by Kingston Conservation Commission
104 acres2 mi of trail
Red TrailWest Blue Connector TrailCentral Blue Connector TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Powwow River Conservation Area
Managed by Kingston Conservation Commission
169 acres1.8 mi of trail
Yellow Loop TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Frye Town Forest
Managed by Kingston Conservation Commission
84 acres1.3 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Webster Wildlife & Natural Area
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
127 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kingston State Park
Park
47 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ahl Memorial Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
33 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Tucker and French Family Forest538 acres · 6.5 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsValley Lane Town Forest144 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Town of Kingston
Acorn Town Forest104 acres · 2 mi of trail · Kingston Conservation Commission
Powwow River Conservation Area169 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Kingston Conservation Commission
Frye Town Forest84 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Kingston Conservation Commission
Webster Wildlife & Natural Area127 acres · 1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsKingston State Park47 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsAhl Memorial Forest33 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
Currier Wildlife Management Area75 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Powwow River Wildlife Management Area106 acres · NH Fish & Game
West Kingston Town Forest54 acres · Kingston Conservation Commission
Rock Rimmon State Forest45 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Folly Brook Natural Area19 acres · Town of Kingston
Dorre Road Town Forest15 acres · Town of Kingston
Little River Natural Area14 acres · Town of Kingston
Chase Fields10 acres · Town of Kingston
Kingston Plain6 acres · Town of Kingston, NH
Magnusson Memorial Fields5 acres
Who protects it
2,619 conserved acres
21% of Kingston’s land. Water is left out: Kingston has 19.8 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Kingston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,385 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)936 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land689 ac
Town or city468 ac
State fish & wildlife262 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government243 ac
Regional agency176 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,076 acUnknown Easement · 814 acPrivate Conservation · 258 acLocal Other or Unknown · 240 acAgricultural Easement · 128 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,857 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 86 of 128 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster Wildlife + Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 86 | Unknown |
| Currier Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 75 | Restricted |
| Manuel Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 68 | Unknown |
| Magnusson Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Daughtrey Private Conservation | Not recorded | 53 | Unknown |
| Kingston State Park State Park | State natural resources | 46 | Open |
| E.T.'s Landing Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
| Webster Wildlife and Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
| Ann Hannigan Wildlife Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 34 | Restricted |
| Ahl Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Kingston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kingston
Waterfront
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Kingston
1 playground without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Kingston
Live Free & Run Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Kingston
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Kingston
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Kingston
Lone Tree Scout Reservation
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.7 mi
Red Trail3.4 mi
Blue Trail1.4 mi
Tucker Trail1.1 mi
Mill Pond Loop1.1 mi
French South Trail0.8 mi
French North Trail0.6 mi
Patten Island Loop0.6 mi
French Connector0.5 mi
White Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Loop Trail0.3 mi
5 more trails
The Driftway
0.3 miWest Blue Connector Trail
0.2 miOrange Trail
0.2 miFoot path
0.1 miCentral Blue Connector Trail
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
11Baseball
9Tennis
1Football
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kingston: 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 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Kingston →
Next door
Kingston and its neighbors
Kingston has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Exeter62 miKingston25 miHampstead22 miPlaistow15 miBrentwood14 miDanville11 miNewton9.2 miEast Kingston5.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 21% | 1.3 | 19 | 29% | A− |
| Exeter | 32% | 3.2 | 58 | 88% | A+ |
| Danville | 12% | 0.9 | 11 | 39% | B+ |
| East Kingston | 17% | 0.5 | 1 | 17% | C+ |
| Newton | 13% | 0.9 | 25 | 59% | A− |
| Plaistow | 12% | 1.4 | 7 | 48% | B+ |
| Brentwood | 30% | 0.9 | 23 | 13% | B+ |
| Hampstead | 19% | 1.6 | 55 | 59% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kingston
Where can I hike in Kingston?
The longest trail networks: Tucker and French Family Forest, 6.5 miles; Valley Lane Town Forest, 2.2 miles; Acorn Town Forest, 2 miles; Powwow River Conservation Area, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kingston is conserved land?
21% 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 Kingston’s trails?
Tucker and French Family Forest and Valley Lane Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Kingston?
19,354 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kingston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 290 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kingston have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #86 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 Kingston 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 →