Litchfield State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
327 acres4.2 mi of trail
Litchfield State Forest TrailCalvin LoopBearcub RunRocky Knoll Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Litchfield
14% of Litchfield’s land is conserved: 1,314 acres
16 miles of mapped trail cross Litchfield, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Litchfield State Forest (4.2 mi), Litchfield Town Land (1.1 mi), Moore's Falls Conservation Area (1.1 mi). 156 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #82 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,314 acres · of 14.9 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
156 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
5.7 mi paths
Highest peak
348 ft
Rocky Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Litchfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Litchfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Litchfield is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #82 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 Litchfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (156 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13BParks close to home47% 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 76%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 35%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Litchfield’s 14% is ahead of 32% 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 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 Litchfield State Forest, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Litchfield Town Land
Nature preserve
62 acres1.1 mi of trail
BoulderdashLitchfield State Forest TrailAldrich ConnectorTown Line Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Moore's Falls Conservation Area
Nature preserve
33 acres1.1 mi of trail
Moore's Falls TrailOld Trolley Line TrailRiver ConnectorLoop Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Litchfield School Conservation Area
Managed by Litchfield Conservation Commission
98 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Litchfield State Forest327 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
DirectionsLitchfield Town Land62 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMoore's Falls Conservation Area33 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRoy Memorial Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsParker Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn Bryant River Access1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLitchfield School Conservation Area98 acres · Litchfield Conservation Commission
Birch Street Conservation Area68 acres · Litchfield Conservation Commission
Stage Crossing52 acres · Litchfield Conservation Commission
Bixby Meadow49 acres · Litchfield Conservation Commission
Litchfield Park at Sawmill Brook21 acres
DirectionsIsaac McQuesten Wildlife Sancturary7 acres
Kurt Schaefer Memorial Fields5 acres · Town of Litchfield
DirectionsScott Innes Sr. Fields5 acres
Veterans Park4 acres
DirectionsJustin Bisset Memorial Baseball Complex4 acres
Litchfield Muster Field2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,314 conserved acres
14% of Litchfield’s land. Who manages Litchfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources335 ac
Town or city265 ac
Other state land150 ac
State fish & wildlife65 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service16 ac
Not recorded664 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 507 acState Resource Management Area · 335 acLocal Conservation Area · 239 acConservation Easement · 166 acPrivate Agricultural · 80 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 91 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 35 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litchfield State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 335 | Open |
| Town of Litchfield Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 295 | Unknown |
| Bixby Meadow Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Airport Mitigation Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 74 | Unknown |
| Litchfield School Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 58 | Unknown |
| Large White Lot Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 53 | Unknown |
| Town of Litchfield Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 52 | Open |
| McElwain - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 45 | Unknown |
| White Lot Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 31 | Unknown |
| Calawa / Landay - Agricultural Preservation Restr. Private Agricultural | Other state land | 25 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Litchfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Litchfield
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Litchfield
Merrimack River Access
DirectionsPeaks in Litchfield
Rocky Hill348 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Litchfield
Litchfield Community GardenLitchfield Conservation Commission
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.9 miUnpaved · 6.4 mi
Litchfield State Forest Trail1.6 mi
Roll The Dice0.9 mi
Boulderdash0.9 mi
Calvin Loop0.9 mi
Moore's Falls Trail0.6 mi
Bearcub Run0.5 mi
Rocky Knoll Trail0.5 mi
Parker Park Trail0.5 mi
Aldrich Connector0.4 mi
Old Trolley Line Trail0.4 mi
6 more trails
Lost Dog Bog
0.2 miRiver Connector
0.1 miGarden Connector Trail
0.1 miOld Trolley Track
0.1 miTown Line Connector
0.1 miLoop Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Soccer
6Basketball
1Football
1Golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Litchfield: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Litchfield →
Next door
Litchfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litchfield | 14% | 1.1 | 18 | 47% | A− |
| Merrimack | 20% | 1.8 | 69 | 70% | A |
| East Merrimack | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hudson | 8% | 1.5 | 17 | 48% | B+ |
| Nashua | 13% | 1.5 | 14 | 82% | A |
| Manchester | 14% | 1.1 | 7 | 89% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Litchfield
Where can I hike in Litchfield?
The longest trail networks: Litchfield State Forest, 4.2 miles; Litchfield Town Land, 1.1 miles; Moore's Falls Conservation Area, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Litchfield is conserved land?
14% 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 Litchfield’s trails?
Litchfield State Forest and Litchfield Town Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Litchfield?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Litchfield?
16,526 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Litchfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 493 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Litchfield have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #82 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 Litchfield 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 →