Birch Ridge Community Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
2,634 acres7.8 mi of trail
Birch Ridge TrailFall Line
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
New Durham Meetinghouse and Pound (Additional Documentation) · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in New Durham
New Durham has 1,349 acres of parks, 491 for every 1,000 residents
20% of New Durham’s land is conserved, about 5,363 acres. 44 miles of mapped trail cross New Durham, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Birch Ridge Community Forest (7.8 mi), Collins Family Forest (4.3 mi), Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #49 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
5,363 acres · of 41.2 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,349 ac
491 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,362 ft
Birch Ridge
Lakes & rivers
14
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is New Durham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam491 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild20% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.A trail town1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 82% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Durham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Durham is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #49 of 126 in New Hampshire. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Durham’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land491 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,349 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home22% 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 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 62%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so New Durham’s 20% is ahead of 58% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% of them.
Water is 6% of New Durham’s area (3 of 44 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 19%.
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 Birch Ridge Community Forest, with 7.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Collins Family Forest
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
491 acres4.3 mi of trail
Mount MollyHomestead TrailOwl's HeadCollins Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
225 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
192 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cooper Cedar Woods
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
134 acres0.6 mi of trail
Main LoopEsker Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Elmer C. Smith Recreation Area
Managed by Town of New Durham
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Coldrain Pond Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
62 acres0.3 mi of trail
Coldrain Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Birch Ridge Community Forest2,634 acres · 7.8 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsCollins Family Forest491 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsBeaver Brook Wildlife Management Area225 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area192 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
DirectionsCooper Cedar Woods134 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsElmer C. Smith Recreation Area22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of New Durham
DirectionsColdrain Pond Wildlife Management Area62 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsJennings Forest390 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Mount Bet271 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
New Durham Town Forest138 acres · Town of New Durham
WidowMaker Farm137 acres · Moose Mountains Regional Greenways
Powdermill Fish Hatchery97 acres · NH Fish & Game
Merrymeeting Marsh Wildlife Management Area88 acres · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsMeetinghouse Park6 acres · Town of New Durham
Merrymeeting Lake Dam2 acres
Who protects it
5,363 conserved acres
20% of New Durham’s land. Water is left out: New Durham has 41.2 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages New Durham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,629 ac
State fish & wildlife627 ac
Town or city92 ac
Joint34 ac
Not recorded2,634 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,179 acPrivate Conservation · 1,668 acState Conservation Area · 519 acState Other or Unknown · 163 acLocal Other or Unknown · 146 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,670 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Ridge Community Forest Phase II Private Conservation | Not recorded | 633 | Open |
| Collins Family Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 495 | Open |
| Jennings Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 388 | Unknown |
| Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 225 | Unknown |
| Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 193 | Unknown |
| Cooper Cedar Woods Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 172 | Open |
| New Durham Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 136 | Unknown |
| Merrymeeting Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 101 | Unknown |
| Powdermill Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 99 | Unknown |
| Coldrain Pond Remote Access Facility State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in New Durham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in New Durham
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in New Durham
Merrymeeting Marsh Boat RampIn Merrymeeting Marsh Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in New Durham
Powder Mill Fish Rearing Station
DirectionsPeaks in New Durham
Birch Ridge1,362 ft elevation · In Birch Ridge Community Forest
DirectionsCaverly Mountain1,345 ft elevation
DirectionsRand Mountain1,302 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Jesse1,201 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Molly1,161 ft elevation · In Collins Family Forest
DirectionsMount Bet1,158 ft elevation · In Mount Bet
DirectionsDevils Den Mountain1,047 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Eleanor1,007 ft elevation · In Birch Ridge Community Forest
Directions1 more peak
Rattlesnake Mountain965 ft elevation · In Birch Ridge Community Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in New Durham
Camp Maranatha
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miUnpaved · 31.2 mi
Mount Molly1.2 mi
Homestead Trail0.8 mi
Main Loop0.6 mi
Owl's Head0.5 mi
Collins Path0.3 mi
Coldrain Pond Trail0.3 mi
Birch Ridge Trail0.3 mi
Fall Line0.3 mi
Chesley Connector0.2 mi
Esker Loop0.1 mi
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
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Tennis
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Durham: 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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in New Durham →
Next door
New Durham and its neighbors
New Durham has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Durham | 20% | 1.1 | 491 | 22% | A− |
| Alton | 13% | 0.9 | 215 | 34% | A− |
| Farmington | 13% | 1.1 | 12 | 46% | B+ |
| Brookfield | — 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 New Durham
Where can I hike in New Durham?
The longest trail networks: Birch Ridge Community Forest, 7.8 miles; Collins Family Forest, 4.3 miles; Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area, 0.7 miles; Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Durham 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 New Durham’s trails?
Birch Ridge Community Forest and Collins Family Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near New Durham?
10,882 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Durham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,376 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Durham have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 New Durham 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 →