Mine Falls Park
Managed by City of Nashua
333 acres8.7 mi of trail
Blue TrailTow PathRed TrailPurple Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Nashua
Nashua has 46 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
13% of Nashua’s land is conserved, about 2,610 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mine Falls Park (8.7 mi), Southwest Park (6.5 mi), Terrell Homestead Conservation Area (2.6 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #46 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,610 acres · of 30.8 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,323 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Highest peak
417 ft
Long Hill
Lakes & rivers
19
7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Nashua?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Nashua have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Nashua is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #46 of 126 in New Hampshire. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Nashua’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,323 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13BParks close to home82% 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 86%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 64%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Nashua’s 13% is ahead of 28% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 67% 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 Mine Falls Park, with 8.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Southwest Park
Managed by City of Nashua
232 acres6.5 mi of trail
Development TrailYellow Dot TrailErmine LoopStargazer+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Terrell Homestead Conservation Area
Managed by Nashua Conservation Commission
86 acres2.6 mi of trail
Teepee TopperTeepee Climb
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Greeley Park
Managed by City of Nashua
128 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Northwest Sanctuary
Managed by Nashua Conservation Commission
417 acres1.7 mi of trail
Northwest Nature
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Buckmeadow Conservation Area
Managed by Nashua Conservation Commission
101 acres0.8 mi of trail
Buckmeadow TrailOId Ridge Road / Esker Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park
Park
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 44 parks & preserves
Mine Falls Park333 acres · 8.7 mi of trail · City of Nashua
DirectionsSouthwest Park232 acres · 6.5 mi of trail · City of Nashua
DirectionsTerrell Homestead Conservation Area86 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Nashua Conservation Commission
DirectionsGreeley Park128 acres · 2 mi of trail · City of Nashua
DirectionsNorthwest Sanctuary417 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Nashua Conservation Commission
Roby Park56 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBuckmeadow Conservation Area101 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Nashua Conservation Commission
DirectionsVietnam Veterans Memorial Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGardner Memorial Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Nashua
Anniversary Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJoyce Park & Wildlife Sanctuary10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Nashua
DirectionsRoussel Memorial Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Nashua
Waterview Neighborhood Association Common Land4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Fields Grove4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLovewell Pond Conservation Area81 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Nashua Conservation Commission
DirectionsNorth Common11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNavaho Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSullivan Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Farley Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary94 acres · NH Audubon
Main Dunstable Soccer Fields26 acres
DirectionsLincoln Park20 acres
DirectionsDegasis Park10 acres · City of Nashua
Sunset Heights Park10 acres
Kirkpatrick Park9 acres
DirectionsProctor Park9 acres · City of Nashua
Salmon Brook Sanctuary7 acres · City of Nashua
Labine Park5 acres
DirectionsAtherton Park5 acres
Shady Lane Park5 acres
DirectionsMark S. Rowland Park4 acres
DirectionsElks Playground4 acres · City of Nashua
Saint Andrew's Playground3 acres · City of Nashua
Lyons Park3 acres
DirectionsErion Park3 acres
Waterview Neightborhood Ass'n Common Land3 acres
Main Street Wildlife Refuge2 acres
DirectionsHowe Wildlife Sanctuary2 acres · City of Nashua
DirectionsSandy Pond Park2 acres
DirectionsThornton Road Tot Lot2 acres · City of Nashua
DirectionsNashua River Access1 acres
DirectionsGreenwich Commons1 acres
Massachusetts Drive Park1 acres
Rotary Common1 acres
DirectionsLe Parc De Notre Renaissance Française1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,610 conserved acres
13% of Nashua’s land. Who manages Nashua’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits870 ac
Town or city410 ac
State natural resources265 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service81 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)74 ac
Not recorded1,541 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 829 acUnknown Easement · 553 acLocal Park · 478 acLocal Conservation Area · 402 acWatershed Protection Area · 380 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 376 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 54 of 93 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Landfill Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 291 | Unknown |
| Pennichuck Water Works Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 278 | Unknown |
| Northwest Conservation Land Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 250 | Unknown |
| Mine Falls Park Local Park | State natural resources | 247 | Open |
| Southwest 2 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 120 | Unknown |
| Nashua 2002 NorthFork Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Greeley Park - Undeveloped Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
| Nashua National Fish Hatchery Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 81 | Restricted |
| Yudicky Farm - Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 80 | Unknown |
| Main Dunstable School Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 57 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
90 places to go in Nashua
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Nashua
Centennial PoolHours: Mon–Fri 1 pm – 5 pm, 6 pm – 8 pm; Sat 1 pm – 8 pm; Sun 1 pm – 6 pm · In North Common
DirectionsCrown Hill Pool
DirectionsRotary Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Nashua
Bobo's Indoor Playground
DirectionsLegacy PlaygroundIn Labine Park
DirectionsSandy Pond Splash PadIn Sandy Pond Park
Directions68 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Nashua
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Nashua
Greeley Park Boat Ramp
DirectionsMill Pond Boat RampIn Mine Falls Park
DirectionsMillyard Office Park Boat Ramp
DirectionsNashua River Boat RampIn Mine Falls Park
DirectionsWinchester Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Nashua
Long Hill417 ft elevation
DirectionsGilboa Hill397 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Four Hills305 ft elevation
DirectionsLibrary Hill148 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Nashua
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Nashua
3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 19 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.9 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 12.6 mi
Blue Trail1.2 mi
Tow Path1.1 mi
Red Trail1.0 mi
Development Trail1.0 mi
Yellow Dot Trail0.6 mi
Purple Trail0.6 mi
Buckmeadow Trail0.6 mi
Ermine Loop0.6 mi
Stargazer0.6 mi
OId Ridge Road / Esker Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Nashua, Acton & Boston Railroad
0.5 miNashua Riverwalk
0.5 miYudicky Farm Trail
0.4 miSwamp Loop
0.4 miWild Turkey Trail
0.4 miOrange Trail
0.4 miDeer Trail
0.4 miNorthwest Nature
0.4 miTeepee Topper
0.3 miSalamander
0.3 miCreepy Teepee
0.3 miTerrell Trail
0.3 miNashua Acton & Boston Railroad
0.2 miBeaver Trail
0.2 miTeepee Climb
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Birch PondBowers PondFrog PondreservoirHolts PondHorse PondImproved Machinery PondreservoirLovewell PondMill PondNashua Fly Casters PondPennichuck PondlakeRail Trail PondRound PondSalmon Brook Main Street PondreservoirSandy PondMerrimack RiverNashua Canal ReservoirNashua RiverPennichuck BrookSalmon Brook
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
116Tennis
59Baseball
27Basketball
26Soccer
7Football
2Skate park
2Pickleball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 20 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hunt Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1971
About itAbbot HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itGen. George Stark HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itNashville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itHillsborough County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itNashua Manufacturing Company Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itKillicut-Way HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itNashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Nashua: 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 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Nashua →
Next door
Nashua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashua | 13% | 1.5 | 14 | 82% | A |
| Merrimack | 20% | 1.8 | 69 | 70% | A |
| Hollis | 28% | 2.9 | 370 | 60% | A+ |
| Hudson | 8% | 1.5 | 17 | 48% | B+ |
| Litchfield | 14% | 1.1 | 18 | 47% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Nashua
Where can I hike in Nashua?
The longest trail networks: Mine Falls Park, 8.7 miles; Southwest Park, 6.5 miles; Terrell Homestead Conservation Area, 2.6 miles; Greeley Park, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Nashua is conserved land?
13% 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 Nashua’s trails?
Mine Falls Park and Southwest Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Nashua?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Nashua?
34,938 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nashua or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,323 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Nashua have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #46 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 Nashua 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 →