Newport Town Forest
Nature preserve
205 acres7.9 mi of trail
Forest TrailWhip N SpurNorth Boundary TrailGrenvilles Eastside+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Newport
Newport has 73 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
1,086 acres are parks and preserves, 170 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Newport Town Forest (7.9 mi), William B. Ruger, Jr. Wildlife Management Area - South (4.7 mi), Johnson Easement (1.5 mi). 9% of Newport’s land is conserved, about 2,510 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #38 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,510 acres · of 43.6 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,086 ac
170 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.2 mi
7.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,673 ft
Wilcox Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Newport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newport is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #38 of 126 in New Hampshire. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newport’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land170 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,086 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home53% 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 88%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 70%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Newport’s 9% is ahead of 12% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% 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 Newport Town Forest, with 7.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
William B. Ruger, Jr. Wildlife Management Area - South
Managed by NH Fish & Game
814 acres4.7 mi of trail
Cornish Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Johnson Easement
Nature preserve
94 acres1.5 mi of trail
Bear TrapO'Neill TrailSalems Lot
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sugar River Recreation Trail
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation
72 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sugar River Trail Parking
All 9 parks & preserves
Newport Town Forest205 acres · 7.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam B. Ruger, Jr. Wildlife Management Area - South814 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Johnson Easement94 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Newport Recreation Complex25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSugar River Recreation Trail72 acres · New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMeadow Park Recreation Complex10 acres
DirectionsRobert C. Haserlat Memorial Park9 acres
Newport Common2 acres
DirectionsCorbin Covered Bridge Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,510 conserved acres
9% of Newport’s land. Who manages Newport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,683 ac
Other state land720 ac
Town or city281 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)243 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government171 ac
State natural resources158 ac
Not recorded875 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,620 acState Conservation Area · 813 acAgricultural Easement · 564 acUnknown Easement · 483 acPrivate Agricultural · 321 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,058 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 28 of 44 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| William B. Ruger Wildlife Management Area - South State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 813 | Open |
| Merritt - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 321 | Unknown |
| Newport Recreation Area Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 153 | Unknown |
| Barton (The Pinnacle) Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 78 | Unknown |
| Unnamed Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Town of Newport Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Wilmarth Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Meadow Park Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Maple Street Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Newport Water Department Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Newport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newport
Laurel Street Tot Lot
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Newport
Pollard Mills Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Newport
Wilcox Hill1,673 ft elevation
DirectionsCoit Mountain1,588 ft elevation
DirectionsPikes Hill1,555 ft elevation
DirectionsPage Hill1,506 ft elevation
DirectionsThatcher Hill1,447 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Mountain1,355 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Pinnacle1,348 ft elevation · In Newport Town Forest
DirectionsCalls Hill1,211 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Mount Tug1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Newport
NorthStar Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miUnpaved · 18.4 mi
Pike Hill Road West3.4 mi
Cutings Outback2.2 mi
Old Railroad Grade1.8 mi
Bear Trap1.6 mi
Cornish Turnpike1.3 mi
Pike Hill Road South1.1 mi
Forest Trail0.7 mi
Whip N Spur0.5 mi
Lower Loop0.5 mi
North Boundary Trail0.4 mi
15 more trails
Grenvilles Eastside
0.4 miHale Trail
0.3 miO'Neill Trail
0.3 miSouth Boundary Trail
0.3 miRoots Trail
0.3 miUpper Loop
0.3 miSouth Trail
0.2 miSalems Lot
0.2 miEthan Smith Trail
0.2 miBaptist Hill
0.2 miBarton Woods
0.2 miPinnacle Summit
0.2 miLedge Trail
0.2 miTrapper Trail
0.1 miTower Circle
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Basketball
2Softball
2Soccer
1Football
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Sullivan County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itPier BridgeStructure · listed 1975
About itWright's BridgeStructure · listed 1975
About itNettleton HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itIsaac Reed HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itTown Hall and CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itLittle Red School House 1835 District No. 7Building · listed 1980
About itRichards Free LibraryBuilding · listed 1984
About itNewport Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itSouth Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1989
About itRichards, Dexter, & Sons Woolen MillBuilding · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Newport: May, 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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Newport →
Next door
Newport and its neighbors
Newport has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | 9% | 1.7 | 170 | 53% | A |
| Croydon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Claremont | 5% | 1.2 | 44 | 67% | A− |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Unity | 12% | 1.1 | 25 | 2% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newport
Where can I hike in Newport?
The longest trail networks: Newport Town Forest, 7.9 miles; William B. Wildlife Management Area - South, 4.7 miles; Johnson Easement, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newport is conserved land?
9% 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 Newport’s trails?
Newport Town Forest and William B. Wildlife Management Area - South don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newport?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newport?
23,422 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,086 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newport have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #38 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 Newport 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 →