Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
1,808 acres2.7 mi of trail
Silver Mountain Trail (Yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lempster
Lempster has 948 acres of parks, 995 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Lempster’s land is conserved, about 4,038 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Lempster, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest (2.7 mi), Long Pond Town Forest (1.3 mi), Dodge Brook State Forest (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
4,038 acres · of 32.4 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
948 ac
995 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,323 ft
Bean Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Lempster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lempster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lempster is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lempster’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land995 acres of park per 1,000 residents (948 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks 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 conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Lempster’s 19% is ahead of 56% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 15% 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 Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Long Pond Town Forest
Managed by Town of Lempster
610 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Dodge Brook State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
229 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Perkins Town Forest
Managed by Town of Lempster
208 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest1,808 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsLong Pond Town Forest610 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Town of Lempster
Dodge Brook State Forest229 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Perkins Town Forest208 acres · Town of Lempster
Honey Brook State Forest203 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Lempster Town Forest102 acres · Town of Lempster
Diehl Family Forest41 acres · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Gallop Marsh Wildlife Management Area12 acres · NH Fish & Game
Pillsbury State Park10 acres
Farnsworth Hill Forest2 acres · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Who protects it
4,038 conserved acres
19% of Lempster’s land. Who manages Lempster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,621 ac
State natural resources218 ac
Other state land218 ac
Town or city40 ac
Not recorded3,496 ac
Private Conservation · 2,020 acOther Easement · 1,979 acLocal Resource Management Area · 899 acConservation Easement · 809 acState Resource Management Area · 427 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 541 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 26 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashuelot River Headwaters Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,978 | Unknown |
| Long Pond Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 639 | Unknown |
| Dodge Brook State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 225 | Unknown |
| Lempster Town Forest - Perkins Lot Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 219 | Unknown |
| Honey Brook State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 202 | Unknown |
| Town of Lempster Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 73 | Unknown |
| Unnamed Lot #2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Diehl Family Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 42 | Open |
| Lempster Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 40 | Unknown |
| Gallop Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Lempster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lempster
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lempster
1 playground without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Lempster
Crescent Lake Outlet
DirectionsPeaks in Lempster
Bean Mountain2,323 ft elevation
DirectionsLempster Mountain2,251 ft elevation
DirectionsSilver Mountain2,139 ft elevation · In Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest
DirectionsKennedy Hill2,034 ft elevation
DirectionsPollards Hill1,978 ft elevation
DirectionsLempster Mountain1,795 ft elevation
DirectionsBeckwith Hill1,614 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.4 mi
Charlestown Turnpike0.9 mi
Huntley Road (Class VI)0.8 mi
(Class VI)0.7 mi
Keyes Hollow Road (Class VI)0.7 mi
Wheeler Lane (Class VI)0.7 mi
Gee Road (Class VI)0.7 mi
Waldron Road (Class VI)0.7 mi
Kempton Road (Class VI)0.6 mi
Silver Mountain Trail (Yellow)0.6 mi
Coffin Hill Road (Class VI)0.6 mi
1 more trails
Bugbee Drive (Class VI)
0.4 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
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Lempster: May and July 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lempster →
Next door
Lempster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lempster | 19% | 0.8 | 995 | 24% | A− |
| Acworth | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Washington | 38% | 1.3 | 4,964 | 42% | A |
| Unity | 12% | 1.1 | 25 | 2% | B+ |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marlow | — 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.
Questions about parks and trails in Lempster
Where can I hike in Lempster?
The longest trail networks: Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest, 2.7 miles; Long Pond Town Forest, 1.3 miles; Dodge Brook State Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lempster is conserved land?
19% 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 Lempster’s trails?
Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest and Long Pond Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lempster?
15,452 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lempster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 948 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lempster have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Lempster 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 →