Bachelder Town Forest
Managed by Loudon Conservation Commission
186 acres2.8 mi of trail
Blue LoopHarry-O CircuitNew TrailConnector Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Loudon
Loudon has 48 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
10% of Loudon’s land is conserved, about 3,046 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bachelder Town Forest (2.8 mi), Lovejoy Trails (1.2 mi), Soucook River State Forest (0.5 mi). 12% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #122 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
3,046 acres · of 46.2 sq mi of land
Trails
48 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
35 ac
6.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
961 ft
Oak Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Loudon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Loudon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Loudon is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #122 of 126 in New Hampshire. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Loudon’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (48 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land6.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (35 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13CParks close to home12% 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 52%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 3%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Loudon’s 10% is ahead of 17% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Bachelder Town Forest, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lovejoy Trails
Managed by Town of Loudon
132 acres1.2 mi of trail
Martha's TrailBoardwalk Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Soucook River State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
48 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Holt Road Marsh State Wildlife Manangement Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
110 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Bachelder Town Forest186 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Loudon Conservation Commission
Lovejoy Trails132 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Town of Loudon
DirectionsSoucook River State Forest48 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Holt Road Marsh State Wildlife Manangement Area110 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Boisvert & Normand Nature Preserve81 acres · Five Rivers Conservation Trust
DirectionsJessica Kirby Memorial Trails15 acres
DirectionsOak Hill City Forest2 acres · City of Concord
Who protects it
3,046 conserved acres
10% of Loudon’s land. Who manages Loudon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government1,434 ac
Town or city1,046 ac
State fish & wildlife853 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits825 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)444 ac
Other state land157 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land115 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,587 acUnknown Easement · 1,857 acLocal Other or Unknown · 581 acAgricultural Easement · 222 acState Conservation Area · 107 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,280 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 63 of 82 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelder Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 153 | Unknown |
| Maxfield Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 128 | Unknown |
| Hoit Road Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 107 | Unknown |
| Youngs Hill Road 2 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 61 | Unknown |
| Route 129 #2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Route 129 #2A Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 57 | Unknown |
| Kenney Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 50 | Unknown |
| Soucook River State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Transfer Station Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Flagg Lot Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Loudon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Loudon
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Loudon
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Loudon
Oak Hill961 ft elevation
DirectionsClough Hill794 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Hill741 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Loudon
Cascade Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 27.5 mi
Blue Loop1.5 mi
New Trail1.2 mi
Harry-O Circuit1.0 mi
Martha's Trail0.8 mi
Sanborn Pond Trail0.7 mi
Pleasant Street Extension0.6 mi
Primary Trail0.5 mi
Boardwalk Trail0.4 mi
Kenney Road Connector0.3 mi
Tower Trail0.3 mi
1 more trails
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
2Tennis
1Skate park
1Basketball
1Softball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Loudon Town HallBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Loudon: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Loudon →
Next door
Loudon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loudon | 10% | 1.0 | 6 | 12% | B− |
| Canterbury | 19% | 1.1 | 99 | 8% | A− |
| Chichester | 8% | 0.8 | 16 | 7% | B |
| Gilmanton | 19% | 0.9 | 193 | 34% | A− |
| Concord | 26% | 2.2 | 24 | 72% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Loudon
Where can I hike in Loudon?
The longest trail networks: Bachelder Town Forest, 2.8 miles; Lovejoy Trails, 1.2 miles; Soucook River State Forest, 0.5 miles; Holt Road Marsh State Wildlife Manangement Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Loudon is conserved land?
10% 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 Loudon’s trails?
Bachelder Town Forest and Lovejoy Trails don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Loudon?
14,900 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Loudon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 216 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Loudon have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Loudon 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 →