Horse Hill Nature Preserve
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
592 acres12.7 mi of trail
Loop TrailNorthside TrailTwister TrailBlodgett Hill Bypass (●)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Signer's House and Matthew Thornton Cemetery · Photo: Jane023 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Merrimack
Merrimack has 57 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
20% of Merrimack’s land is conserved, about 4,076 acres. 1,943 acres are parks and preserves, 69 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Horse Hill Nature Preserve (12.7 mi), Grater Woods (12.2 mi), Fields Farm Conservation Area (7.2 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #15 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,076 acres · of 32.6 sq mi of land
Trails
57 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,943 ac
69 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
420 ft
Blodgett Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
3 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Merrimack?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Merrimack have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Merrimack is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #15 of 126 in New Hampshire. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Merrimack’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (57 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land69 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,943 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home70% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 89%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Merrimack’s 20% is ahead of 56% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% 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 Horse Hill Nature Preserve, with 12.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grater Woods
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
574 acres12.2 mi of trail
MillipedeSilverfishRed Maple TrailSkyline+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fields Farm Conservation Area
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
96 acres7.2 mi of trail
Dark MatterEvent HorizonParallaxRetrograde+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wasserman Conservation Area
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
114 acres4.6 mi of trail
Fitness LoopBear Facts TrailWilly's TrailQuarry Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wildcat Falls Conservation Area
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
138 acres3.8 mi of trail
Falls LoopNorth Loop TrailPower Line TrailConnector 1+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sklar Waterfront Park
Park
55 acres2 mi of trail
Riverview TrailEagle Bluff TrailCottontail TrailFerry Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gilmore Hill Memorial Forest
Managed by Merrimack Conservation Commission
28 acres0.6 mi of trail
Roller Coaster Ridge
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Twin Bridge Park
Managed by Town of Merrimack
19 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Horse Hill Nature Preserve592 acres · 12.7 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
DirectionsGrater Woods574 acres · 12.2 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
DirectionsFields Farm Conservation Area96 acres · 7.2 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
Wasserman Conservation Area114 acres · 4.6 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
DirectionsWildcat Falls Conservation Area138 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
DirectionsSklar Waterfront Park55 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsGilmore Hill Memorial Forest28 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Merrimack Conservation Commission
Twin Bridge Park19 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Merrimack
DirectionsWasserman Park47 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Merrimack
DirectionsDumpling Brook Wildlife Management Area156 acres · NH Fish & Game
Watkins Forest61 acres · Merrimack Conservation Commission
Veterans Memorial Park26 acres
DirectionsTimothy Gibson Memorial Complex26 acres
Mitchell Woods23 acres · Merrimack Conservation Commission
Green Space14 acres
Watson Park8 acres
DirectionsWeston Park8 acres · Town of Merrimack
DirectionsBishop Field6 acres · Town of Merrimack
DirectionsTwardowsky Field6 acres · Town of Merrimack
O'Gara Drive Recreation Area5 acres · Town of Merrimack
DirectionsAbbie Griffin Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,076 conserved acres
20% of Merrimack’s land. Who manages Merrimack’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,335 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits290 ac
Regional agency202 ac
State fish & wildlife157 ac
Joint118 ac
Other state land89 ac
Not recorded2,434 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,887 acConservation Easement · 605 acLocal Conservation Area · 443 acPrivate Conservation · 426 acWatershed Protection Area · 349 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 403 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 84 of 108 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Hill Nature Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 554 | Unknown |
| Grater Woods Town Forest Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 479 | Open |
| Bradford Woods Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 190 | Unknown |
| Pennichuck Water Works Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 163 | Unknown |
| Merrimack Village District Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 161 | Unknown |
| Dumpling Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 157 | Restricted |
| Jon Simeone B Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 137 | Unknown |
| Indian Rock Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 108 | Unknown |
| Fields Farm Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 96 | Unknown |
| Wasserman Park Local Park | Other state land | 89 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Merrimack
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Merrimack
Dog Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Merrimack
Kids KoveIn Twin Bridge Park
DirectionsNorma French PlaygroundIn Wasserman Park
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Merrimack
Merrimack Dog ParkIn Wasserman Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Merrimack
Depot Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsNaticook Boat Ramp
DirectionsWaterfalls in Merrimack
Wildcat Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Merrimack
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Merrimack
Blodgett Hill420 ft elevation · In Horse Hill Nature Preserve
DirectionsHorse Hill377 ft elevation · In Horse Hill Nature Preserve
DirectionsBumbo Hill361 ft elevation
DirectionsTurkey Hill358 ft elevation
DirectionsMiddle Hill335 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 40.5 miHorses · 5.8 miUnpaved · 20.2 mi
Loop Trail3.8 mi
Dark Matter3.6 mi
Northside Trail1.9 mi
Skyline1.6 mi
Falls Loop1.4 mi
Millipede1.4 mi
Gateway Trail1.3 mi
Silverfish1.2 mi
Twister Trail1.2 mi
Red Maple Trail1.1 mi
15 more trails
Salamander
1.0 miQuarry Trail
1.0 miCentipede
1.0 miEvent Horizon
0.8 miParallax
0.8 miDrilled Rock Trail
0.7 miFitness Loop
0.7 miBlodgett Hill Bypass (●)
0.7 miRetrograde
0.7 miNorth Loop Trail
0.6 miBlodgett Hill Summit Trail
0.6 miBear Facts Trail
0.6 miField Loop Trail
0.6 miRiverview Trail
0.6 miBlack Hole
0.6 miBiking & 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
27Tennis
18Baseball
8Soccer
6Basketball
3Football
1Volleyball
1Lacrosse
1Softball
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). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Merrimack: 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 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 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 Merrimack →
Next door
Merrimack and its neighbors
Merrimack has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hollis93 miMerrimack57 miAmherst53 miNashua46 miManchester35 miBedford28 miLitchfield16 miEast Merrimack5.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack | 20% | 1.8 | 69 | 70% | A |
| Nashua | 13% | 1.5 | 14 | 82% | A |
| Litchfield | 14% | 1.1 | 18 | 47% | A− |
| East Merrimack | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Amherst | 16% | 1.6 | 46 | 50% | A |
| Bedford | 9% | 0.9 | 25 | 55% | A− |
| Manchester | 14% | 1.1 | 7 | 89% | A− |
| Hollis | 28% | 2.9 | 370 | 60% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Merrimack
Where can I hike in Merrimack?
The longest trail networks: Horse Hill Nature Preserve, 12.7 miles; Grater Woods, 12.2 miles; Fields Farm Conservation Area, 7.2 miles; Wasserman Conservation Area, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Merrimack is conserved land?
20% 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 Merrimack’s trails?
Horse Hill Nature Preserve and Grater Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Merrimack?
20,329 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Merrimack or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,958 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Merrimack have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 Merrimack 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 →