Lincoln Woods Scenic Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
16,072 acres20.8 mi of trail
Thoreau Falls TrailShoal Pond TrailNancy Pond TrailCarrigain Notch Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lincoln
More than half of Lincoln’s land is conserved: 95%
95% of Lincoln’s land is conserved, about 79,198 acres. 3,409 acres are parks and preserves, 2,334 per 1,000 residents. 144 miles of mapped trail cross Lincoln, 1.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
95%
79,198 acres · of 130.5 sq mi of land
Trails
144 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,409 ac
2,334 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.3 mi
4.4 mi lanes · 4.9 mi paths
Highest peak
4,698 ft
Mount Bond
Lakes & rivers
23
What kind of outdoors town is Lincoln?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lincoln have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lincoln is ahead of 92% 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 Lincoln’s overall grade.
Conserved land95% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (144 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land2,334 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,409 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home39% 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 92%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Lincoln’s 95% is ahead of 100% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 40% 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 Lincoln Woods Scenic Area, with 20.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Franconia Notch State Park
Park
3,760 acres16.3 mi of trail
Pemi TrailLonesome Lake TrailFlume Gorge TrailMount Pemigewasset Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Second Presidential State Forest
Nature preserve
1,185 acres4.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fay State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
144 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Lincoln Woods Scenic Area16,072 acres · 20.8 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Franconia Notch State Park3,760 acres · 16.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSecond Presidential State Forest1,185 acres · 4.2 mi of trail
Fay State Forest144 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
DirectionsRachel Adams Memorial Forest13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsGreeley Ponds Scenic Area54 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kanc Recreation Area27 acres
Nancy Brook Research Natural Area3 acres
Who protects it
79,198 conserved acres
95% of Lincoln’s land. Who manages Lincoln’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service74,308 ac
Not recorded5,144 ac
National Forest · 74,308 acState Park · 3,722 acState Resource Management Area · 1,409 acPrivate Conservation · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 6 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 | 74,147 | Open |
| Franconia Notch State Park State Park | Not recorded | 3,722 | Unknown |
| Second Presidential State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,263 | Unknown |
| White Mountain Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 161 | Open |
| Fay State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 146 | Unknown |
| Rachel Adams Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
Things to do
72 places to go in Lincoln
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lincoln
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Lincoln
Avalanche FallsIn Franconia Notch State Park
DirectionsFranconia Falls
DirectionsGeorgiana FallsIn Second Presidential State Forest
DirectionsHarvard FallsIn Second Presidential State Forest
DirectionsKinsman Falls
DirectionsStairs Falls
DirectionsSwiftwater Falls
DirectionsThoreau FallsIn Lincoln Woods Scenic Area
DirectionsPlus 3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lincoln
Pemigewasset Overlook
DirectionsPlus 10 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lincoln
Mount Bond4,698 ft elevation · In Lincoln Woods Scenic Area
DirectionsMount Carrigain4,665 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Guyot4,580 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Bond4,455 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Liberty4,439 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Hancock4,406 ft elevation
DirectionsSouth Kinsman Mountain4,331 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Flume4,318 ft elevation
Directions22 more peaks
North Kinsman Mountain4,293 ft elevation
DirectionsMiddle Hancock4,278 ft elevation
DirectionsBondcliff4,265 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Zealand4,265 ft elevation
DirectionsMiddle Peak4,199 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Peak4,094 ft elevation
DirectionsNorthwest Hancock4,019 ft elevation
DirectionsVose Spur3,862 ft elevation · In Lincoln Woods Scenic Area
DirectionsScar Ridge3,783 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Cannon Balls East3,770 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Cannonballs West3,694 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Huntington3,684 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Anderson3,668 ft elevation · In Lincoln Woods Scenic Area
DirectionsThe Cannon Balls3,658 ft elevation
DirectionsScar Ridge East Peak3,619 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Hitchcock3,612 ft elevation
DirectionsWhaleback Mountain3,576 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Captain3,540 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Wolf3,448 ft elevation
DirectionsBig Coolidge Mountain3,268 ft elevation
DirectionsLoon Mountain3,069 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Peak3,018 ft elevation
Directions37 peaks are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Picnic areas in Lincoln
Fay Waside Picnic AreaIn Fay State Forest
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Lincoln
Big Rock CampgroundFee
DirectionsCountry Bumpkins Campground
DirectionsFranconia Brook Tentsite
DirectionsHancock CampgroundFee · US Forest Service
DirectionsKinsman Pond TentsiteFee
DirectionsLafayette CampgroundIn Franconia Notch State Park · Franconia Notch State Park
DirectionsLiberty Springs TentsiteFee · Appalachian Mountain Club
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 23 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.8 miUnpaved · 72.8 mi
Bondcliff Trail8.1 mi
Kinsman Ridge Trail6.4 mi
Cedar Brook Trail5.2 mi
Thoreau Falls Trail4.8 mi
Twinway4.0 mi
Wilderness Trail3.8 mi
Shoal Pond Trail3.8 mi
Old Osseo Trail (abandoned)3.8 mi
Osseo Trail3.6 mi
Carrigain Notch Trail3.3 mi
15 more trails
Nancy Pond Trail
3.1 miHancock Loop Trail
3.0 miLincoln Woods Trail
2.9 miFlume Slide Trail
2.9 miCascade Brook Trail
2.9 miEast Pond Trail
2.7 miAppalachian Trail
2.7 miHancock Notch Trail
2.6 miLiberty Spring Trail
2.6 miEthan Pond Trail
2.6 miFranconia Ridge Trail
2.4 miPemi Trail
2.3 miKinsman Pond Trail
2.2 miLonesome Lake Trail
2.1 miSki Trail
2.0 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Black PondBog PondCarrigain PondpondGordon PondpondHarrington PondKinsman PondLincoln ReservoirreservoirLittle Loon PondLonesome LakelakeLoon PondreservoirMud PondNorcross PondShadow LakeShoal PondpondThe BasinThe PoolpondZeacliff PondpondCarrigain BranchEast Branch Pemigewasset RiverFranconia BranchHancock BranchNorth Fork East Branch Pemigewasset RiverPemigewasset River
Biking & sports
9.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Tennis
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lincoln: August and 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 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 25 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 62 | 50 | 38 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 5.4 |
February is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 71 °F). 6.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lincoln →
Next door
Lincoln and its neighbors
Lincoln has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Lincoln
Where can I hike in Lincoln?
The longest trail networks: Lincoln Woods Scenic Area, 20.8 miles; Franconia Notch State Park, 16.3 miles; Second Presidential State Forest, 4.2 miles; Fay State Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lincoln is conserved land?
95% 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 Lincoln’s trails?
Lincoln Woods Scenic Area and Franconia Notch State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lincoln?
9.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of painted or protected lanes and 4.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lincoln?
214,745 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lincoln or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,499 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lincoln have?
Ahead of 92% 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 Lincoln 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 →