Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3)
Managed by NH Fish & Game
146 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Newton
13% of Newton’s land is conserved: 840 acres
9.2 miles of mapped trail cross Newton, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3) (2.1 mi), Busch Farm Conservation Area (0.6 mi). 122 acres are parks and preserves, 25 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #65 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
840 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
9.2 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
122 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Highest peak
276 ft
Sargent Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Newton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newton is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #65 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newton’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (122 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home59% 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 81%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 49%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Newton’s 13% is ahead of 31% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 25% 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 Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3), with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Busch Farm Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Newton, NH Conservation Commission
48 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 2)
Managed by NH Fish & Game
100 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 1)
Managed by NH Fish & Game
88 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
John Marden Conservation Land
Nature preserve
43 acres0.3 mi of trail
Peanut Spur Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3)146 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Busch Farm Conservation Area48 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Newton, NH Conservation Commission
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 2)100 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 1)88 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
John Marden Conservation Land43 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Greenie Park29 acres · Town of Newton
DirectionsHeath Street Parcel23 acres · Town of Newton, NH
Hadley Road Conservation Land21 acres · Town of Newton
Roy Trust17 acres
Pilgrim Homes Land11 acres · Town of Newton, NH
Richard Sargent Management Area 411 acres · NH Fish & Game
Perkins Conservation Area3 acres
Who protects it
840 conserved acres
13% of Newton’s land. Who manages Newton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife349 ac
Town or city124 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government62 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits16 ac
Not recorded359 ac
State Conservation Area · 349 acLocal Other or Unknown · 326 acConservation Easement · 78 acLocal Conservation Area · 49 acUnknown Easement · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 70 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 31 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 349 | Restricted |
| Town of Newton Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 78 | Unknown |
| Burch Farm Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| John Marden Conservation Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Greenie Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Currierville Property Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Backland Behind Transfer Station Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 23 | Unknown |
| Hadley Road Conservation Land Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Smith Corner Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Stronach Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Newton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Newton
Newton Town Beach
DirectionsSwimming spots in Newton
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Newton
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Newton
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Newton
Sargent Hill276 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Peanut Spur Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
1Basketball
1Tennis
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Newton: 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 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Newton →
Next door
Newton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | 13% | 0.9 | 25 | 59% | A− |
| South Hampton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kingston | 21% | 1.3 | 19 | 29% | A− |
| East Kingston | 17% | 0.5 | 1 | 17% | C+ |
| Plaistow | 12% | 1.4 | 7 | 48% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newton
Where can I hike in Newton?
The longest trail networks: Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3), 2.1 miles; Busch Farm Conservation Area, 0.6 miles; Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 2), 0.4 miles; Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 1), 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newton 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 Newton’s trails?
Richard Sargent Wildlife Management Area (Unit 3) and Busch Farm Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newton?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newton?
22,133 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 128 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newton have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #65 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 Newton 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 →