Mason Railroad Trail
Managed by Town of Mason
84 acres5.3 mi of trail
Mason Railroad Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Craig Michaud at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mason
19% of Mason’s land is conserved: 2,950 acres
107 acres are parks and preserves, 73 per 1,000 residents. 26 miles of mapped trail cross Mason, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mason Railroad Trail (5.3 mi), Nissitissit River Headwaters Preserve (2.2 mi), Mason Quarry Conservation Area (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
2,950 acres · of 23.9 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
107 ac
73 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
33%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
873 ft
Mitchell Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Mason?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mason have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mason is ahead of 83% 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 Mason’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land73 acres of park per 1,000 residents (107 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home33% 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 Mason’s 19% is ahead of 56% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 39% 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 Mason Railroad Trail, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nissitissit River Headwaters Preserve
Managed by Piscataquog Land Conservancy
268 acres2.2 mi of trail
Spaulding Brook TrailSplit Rock LoopMitchell Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mason Quarry Conservation Area
Managed by Mason Conservation Commission
104 acres1.3 mi of trail
Coyne Lane (Jeep Trail)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Spaulding Brook Conservation Area
Managed by Mason Conservation Commission
158 acres1.2 mi of trail
Spaulding Brook TrailMitchell Hill TrailHalf Dome Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mitchell Brook Conservation Land
Managed by Mason Conservation Commission
270 acres1 mi of trail
Conservation Commision Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Russell-Abbott State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
436 acres0.8 mi of trail
Mason Railroad Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Mason Railroad Trail84 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Town of Mason
Nissitissit River Headwaters Preserve268 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Piscataquog Land Conservancy
Mason Quarry Conservation Area104 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Mason Conservation Commission
Spaulding Brook Conservation Area158 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Mason Conservation Commission
Mitchell Brook Conservation Land270 acres · 1 mi of trail · Mason Conservation Commission
Russell-Abbott State Forest436 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Downs Forest44 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Mason Conservation Commission
Mitchell Hill Conservation Area90 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Walter Valentine Town Forest72 acres
Florence Roberts Forest37 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Beck Lot27 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Nose Meadow Conservation Land25 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Coyne Wildlife Sanctuary24 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Charlie Crathern Memorial Land20 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Jason Russell State Forest19 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Jefts Lot19 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Potters Woods4 acres · Greenville Conservation Commission
Townsend State Forest1 acres
Who protects it
2,950 conserved acres
19% of Mason’s land. Who manages Mason’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners939 ac
Town or city457 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits251 ac
Other state land161 ac
State natural resources90 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government86 ac
Not recorded1,826 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,582 acLocal Other or Unknown · 863 acState Resource Management Area · 455 acLocal Conservation Area · 379 acPrivate Conservation · 269 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 909 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 59 of 62 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell-Abbott State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 434 | Unknown |
| Town of Mason Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 431 | Unknown |
| Nissitissit Private Conservation | Private owners | 268 | Unknown |
| Potter 1 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 201 | Unknown |
| Mason Conservation Commission Land Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 161 | Unknown |
| Mason Railroad Bed Trail State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 66 | Unknown |
| Potter 9 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 60 | Unknown |
| Potter 8 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 56 | Unknown |
| Potter 5 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Florence Roberts Forest Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Mason
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mason
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Mason
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Mason
Mitchell Hill873 ft elevation
DirectionsPole Hill850 ft elevation
DirectionsNobby Hill771 ft elevation
DirectionsHurricane Hill748 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miHorses · 7.2 miUnpaved · 14.3 mi
Mason Railroad Trail6.6 mi
Spaulding Brook Trail1.7 mi
Coyne Lane (Jeep Trail)1.4 mi
Conservation Commision Trail1.1 mi
Split Rock Loop0.9 mi
Scripps Lane (Jeep Trail)0.7 mi
Mitchell Hill Trail0.7 mi
Half Dome Trail0.2 mi
Greenville Recreational Rail Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Mason: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Mason →
Next door
Mason and its neighbors
Mason has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason | 19% | 1.1 | 73 | 33% | A− |
| Greenville | 9% | 0.4 | 15 | 55% | B |
| Brookline | 21% | 2.2 | 143 | 50% | A |
| New Ipswich | 23% | 0.7 | 8 | 9% | B |
| Wilton | 24% | 0.8 | 133 | 36% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mason
Where can I hike in Mason?
The longest trail networks: Mason Railroad Trail, 5.3 miles; Nissitissit River Headwaters Preserve, 2.2 miles; Mason Quarry Conservation Area, 1.3 miles; Spaulding Brook Conservation Area, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mason 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 Mason’s trails?
Mason Railroad Trail and Nissitissit River Headwaters Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Mason?
42,583 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mason or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 153 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mason 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 Mason 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 →