Kelley-Drake Conservation Area
Managed by New Hampton Conservation Commission
232 acres2.3 mi of trail
Farm Road trailRidge TrailSnowmobile TrailValley Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in New Hampton
15% of New Hampton’s land is conserved: 3,453 acres
163 acres are parks and preserves, 65 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Kelley-Drake Conservation Area (2.3 mi), Franklin Falls Reservoir (1.9 mi), Hersey Mountain Forest (1.3 mi). 26 miles of mapped trail cross New Hampton, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,453 acres · of 36.8 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
163 ac
65 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,440 ft
Beech Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is New Hampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Hampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Hampton is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Hampton’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land65 acres of park per 1,000 residents (163 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home15% 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 72%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so New Hampton’s 15% is ahead of 36% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% 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 Kelley-Drake Conservation Area, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Franklin Falls Reservoir
Managed by United States Army Corps of Engineers
552 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hersey Mountain Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
1,118 acres1.3 mi of trail
Hersey Mtn Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sky Pond State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
117 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Kelley-Drake Conservation Area232 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · New Hampton Conservation Commission
Franklin Falls Reservoir552 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · United States Army Corps of Engineers
DirectionsHersey Mountain Forest1,118 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Sky Pond State Forest117 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
DirectionsGeorge Duncan State Forest108 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Glines Memorial Forest45 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · New Hampton Conservation Commission
DirectionsBald Ledge Scenic Vista138 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New Hampton Conservation Commission
New Hampton Fish Hatchery129 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
DirectionsScribner-Fellows State Forest115 acres · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Town Woodland99 acres · Town of New Hampton
Snake River Conservation Area21 acres · New Hampton Conservation Commission
Alfred Jenness Natural Area5 acres · New Hampton Conservation Commission
Lester & Edith Youst Conservation Area5 acres · New Hampton Conservation Commission
Who protects it
3,453 conserved acres
15% of New Hampton’s land. Who manages New Hampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,977 ac
State natural resources779 ac
Town or city72 ac
Other state land18 ac
Not recorded2,184 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,323 acPrivate Conservation · 1,243 acUnknown Easement · 696 acLocal Other or Unknown · 683 acFederal Other or Unknown · 540 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 465 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 48 of 53 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeJeager Private Conservation | Not recorded | 566 | Unknown |
| Franklin Falls Reservoir Federal Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 540 | Unknown |
| Ness Private Conservation | Not recorded | 458 | Unknown |
| Old Drake Farm Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 167 | Unknown |
| New Hampton Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 149 | Unknown |
| Bald Ledge Scenic Vista Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 140 | Unknown |
| Scribner-Fellows State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 115 | Unknown |
| Sky Pond State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 113 | Unknown |
| George Duncan State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Town Woodland Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 103 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in New Hampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in New Hampton
Children Swimming Pool
DirectionsSwimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in New Hampton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in New Hampton
Beech Hill1,440 ft elevation
DirectionsBurleigh Mountain1,440 ft elevation
DirectionsDolloff Hill1,253 ft elevation
DirectionsHarper Hill1,201 ft elevation
DirectionsWhite Oak Hill912 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 14.3 mi
Fitness Trail0.7 mi
Hersey Mtn Trail0.5 mi
Farm Road trail0.5 mi
Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Snowmobile Trail0.4 mi
Valley Trail0.4 mi
Lake trail0.3 mi
Cemetery Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
9Tennis
2Baseball
2Soccer
1Football
1Softball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 New Hampton: May, June, August and 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in New Hampton →
Next door
New Hampton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sanbornton48 miMeredith41 miHill34 miNew Hampton26 miAshland16 miCenter Harbor15 miBridgewater12 miBristol11 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampton | 15% | 0.7 | 65 | 15% | B+ |
| Bristol | 8% | 0.7 | 44 | 40% | B+ |
| Center Harbor | 14% | 1.2 | 224 | 33% | A− |
| Bridgewater | 3% | 0.6 | 68 | 2% | B− |
| Hill | 31% | 1.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Meredith | 17% | 1.0 | 270 | 52% | A |
| Sanbornton | 15% | 1.0 | 90 | 12% | A− |
| Ashland | 28% | 1.5 | 3 | 42% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Hampton
Where can I hike in New Hampton?
The longest trail networks: Kelley-Drake Conservation Area, 2.3 miles; Franklin Falls Reservoir, 1.9 miles; Hersey Mountain Forest, 1.3 miles; Sky Pond State Forest, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Hampton is conserved land?
15% 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 Hampton’s trails?
Kelley-Drake Conservation Area and Franklin Falls Reservoir don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near New Hampton?
12,115 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Hampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,013 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Hampton have?
Ahead of 72% 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 New Hampton 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 →