Partridge Woods
Managed by Town of Nelson
577 acres4.2 mi of trail
Ridge Trail (Orange)Holt Trail (blue)Hurd Hill Trail (Yellow)Wheeler Trail (yelllow)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Nelson
Few parks or trails are on the map in Nelson
The biggest trail networks: Partridge Woods (4.2 mi), Harris Center Conservation Land (3.5 mi), Keene Watershed Land (1 mi). 35% of Nelson’s land is conserved, about 4,887 acres. 11 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
35%
4,887 acres · of 21.9 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
11 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,234 ft
Osgood Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
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 Partridge Woods, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harris Center Conservation Land
Managed by Harris Center for Conservation Education
862 acres3.5 mi of trail
Kulish Ledges Trail (yellow)Holt Trail (blue)Osgood Hill Link TrailWheeler Trail (yelllow)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Keene Watershed Land
Nature preserve
146 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sucker Brook Cove Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Audubon Society of NH
24 acres0.4 mi of trail
Yellow Rectangle
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Nelson Town Forest
Managed by Town of Nelson
12 acres0.3 mi of trail
Kulish Ledge Trail (yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Partridge Woods577 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Town of Nelson
DirectionsHarris Center Conservation Land862 acres · 3.5 mi of trail · Harris Center for Conservation Education
DirectionsKeene Watershed Land146 acres · 1 mi of trail
Sucker Brook Cove Wildlife Sanctuary24 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Audubon Society of NH
DirectionsNelson Town Forest12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Nelson
Otter Brook Preserve216 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Louis Cabot Preserve309 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Keene State College
Who protects it
4,887 conserved acres
35% of Nelson’s land. Water is left out: Nelson has 21.9 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Nelson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,577 ac
Joint539 ac
Town or city181 ac
Other state land44 ac
Not recorded1,021 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,354 acPrivate Conservation · 1,564 acUnknown Easement · 1,272 acWatershed Protection Area · 142 acLocal Other or Unknown · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,151 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 107 of 114 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greengate Private Conservation | Not recorded | 460 | Unknown |
| Louis Cabot Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 269 | Unknown |
| Otter Brook Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 228 | Unknown |
| Briggs, Eleanor Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 218 | Unknown |
| Keene Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 142 | Unknown |
| Dunbar (Cheney) Lot Private Conservation | Not recorded | 113 | Unknown |
| DeLuca Private Conservation | Not recorded | 81 | Unknown |
| Knight, Deborah Private Conservation | Not recorded | 73 | Unknown |
| Claus Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Rye Pond / Bog Parcel Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Nelson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Nelson
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Nelson
East PinnacleIn Harris Center Conservation Land
DirectionsPeaks in Nelson
Osgood Hill2,234 ft elevation · In Nelson Town Forest
DirectionsFletcher Hill1,952 ft elevation
DirectionsHolt Hill1,906 ft elevation
DirectionsTolman Hill1,877 ft elevation
DirectionsHurd Hill1,821 ft elevation · In Partridge Woods
DirectionsFelt Hill1,745 ft elevation
DirectionsRollstone Mountain1,693 ft elevation
DirectionsHardy Hill1,598 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Thunder Hill1,565 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.7 mi
Holt Trail (blue)1.6 mi
Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway1.6 mi
Kulish Ledges Trail (yellow)1.5 mi
Ridge Trail (Orange)1.2 mi
Wheeler Trail (yelllow)0.7 mi
Bailey Brook Trail (yellow)0.6 mi
Hurd Hill Trail (Yellow)0.4 mi
Yellow Rectangle0.4 mi
Kulish Ledge Trail (yellow)0.3 mi
Private Dead End0.3 mi
3 more trails
Osgood Hill Link Trail
0.3 miPriscilla Trail
0.1 miPortage Path
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Nelson SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Nelson: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 53 | 65 | 73 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Nelson →
Next door
Nelson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Harrisville | 23% | 1.3 | 37 | 3% | B+ |
| Stoddard | 68% | 1.6 | 341 | 10% | A |
| Roxbury | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sullivan | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Nelson
Where can I hike in Nelson?
The longest trail networks: Partridge Woods, 4.2 miles; Harris Center Conservation Land, 3.5 miles; Keene Watershed Land, 1 miles; Sucker Brook Cove Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Nelson’s trails?
Partridge Woods and Harris Center Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Nelson?
12,522 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nelson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Nelson 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 →