Lee Town Forest
Managed by Town of Lee
161 acres3.3 mi of trail
Lee Town Forest Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Bostonian13 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lee
27% of Lee’s land is conserved: 3,392 acres
37 miles of mapped trail cross Lee, 1.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lee Town Forest (3.3 mi), Little River Park (1.5 mi), Maud Jones Memorial Forest (1.3 mi). 101 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #67 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
3,392 acres · of 20.0 sq mi of land
Trails
37 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
101 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
27%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.1 mi
Highest peak
249 ft
Layne Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Lee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lee is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #67 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 Lee’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (37 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (101 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home27% 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 80%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 47%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Lee’s 27% is ahead of 78% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 Lee Town Forest, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Little River Park
Managed by Town of Lee
36 acres1.5 mi of trail
Forest LoopSnowmobile Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maud Jones Memorial Forest
Managed by Town of Lee
75 acres1.3 mi of trail
Maud Jones Memorial Forest TrailMaud Jones
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chestnut Way Open Space
Managed by Chestnut Farms Homeowners Association
39 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Chestnut Way Open Space - Parking and Trailhead
Powder Major's Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
38 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Old Mill Reserve
Managed by Town of Lee
99 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Town Conservation Land
Managed by Town of Lee
41 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Town Land
Managed by Town of Madbury
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Lee Town Forest161 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Town of Lee
DirectionsLittle River Park36 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Town of Lee
DirectionsMaud Jones Memorial Forest75 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Lee
Chestnut Way Open Space39 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Chestnut Farms Homeowners Association
DirectionsPowder Major's Forest38 acres · 1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Old Mill Reserve99 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Lee
DirectionsTown Conservation Land41 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Lee
DirectionsTown Land6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Madbury
Five Corners Reserve25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Durham
Garrity Reserve16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Lee
Rothwell Reserve13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Lee
DirectionsEllis Oyster River Reserve14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Lee
Langley & Kennard Forest40 acres · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsJames Farm14 acres · Town of Lee
Little River Reserve6 acres · Town of Lee
Turtle Pond Conservation Land3 acres · Town of Lee
Who protects it
3,392 conserved acres
27% of Lee’s land. Who manages Lee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,688 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits863 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)683 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government629 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land460 ac
Joint287 ac
State conservation41 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,045 acUnknown Easement · 527 acOther Easement · 416 acAgricultural Easement · 400 acResearch or Educational Area · 352 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,584 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 113 of 159 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNH - Burley Demeritt Farm Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 207 | Unknown |
| UNH - Dudley Lot Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 116 | Unknown |
| Thurston Woods (formerly Yurka) Private Conservation | Town or city | 103 | Unknown |
| Riverside Farm Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 60 | Unknown |
| Swan Drive Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 45 | Unknown |
| Powder Major's Forest Private Conservation | State conservation | 41 | Open |
| Keniston Private Agricultural | Other state land | 25 | Unknown |
| Granger / Little River Park Local Park | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
| Langley & Kennard Forest - Tucker Woods Private Conservation | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| Steppingstone Road #1 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Lee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lee
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Lee
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Lee
Layne Hill249 ft elevation
DirectionsStevens Hill240 ft elevation
DirectionsWednesday Hill236 ft elevation
DirectionsThompson Hill233 ft elevation
DirectionsPelatiah Hill203 ft elevation
DirectionsDemeritt Hill194 ft elevation
DirectionsLong Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsPond Hill
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lee
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 13.2 mi
Snowmobile Trail2.1 mi
Lee Town Forest Trail1.3 mi
Maud Jones Memorial Forest Trail1.1 mi
Snownmobile Trail0.8 mi
Maud Jones0.2 mi
Forest Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Soccer
2Baseball
2Pickleball
2Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lee: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
January is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lee →
Next door
Lee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee | 27% | 1.9 | 22 | 27% | A− |
| Durham | 44% | 3.4 | 20 | 83% | A |
| Nottingham | 34% | 1.4 | 1,288 | 26% | A |
| Newmarket | 29% | 1.0 | 7 | 68% | A− |
| Madbury | 28% | 2.6 | 324 | 56% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lee
Where can I hike in Lee?
The longest trail networks: Lee Town Forest, 3.3 miles; Little River Park, 1.5 miles; Maud Jones Memorial Forest, 1.3 miles; Chestnut Way Open Space, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lee is conserved land?
27% 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 Lee’s trails?
Lee Town Forest and Little River Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lee?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lee?
18,152 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 180 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lee have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #67 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 Lee 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 →