Maidstone Bends Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
619 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Northumberland
22% of Northumberland’s land is conserved: 5,052 acres
226 acres are parks and preserves, 124 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Maidstone Bends Preserve (0.5 mi). 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,052 acres · of 35.7 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
226 ac
124 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,037 ft
Cape Horn
Lakes & rivers
5
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Northumberland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Northumberland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northumberland is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Northumberland’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land124 acres of park per 1,000 residents (226 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home55% 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 80%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Northumberland’s 22% is ahead of 68% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 1% 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 Maidstone Bends Preserve, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cape Horn State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
2,195 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Northumberland Watershed Forest
Nature preserve
443 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bag Hill Town Forest
Managed by Town of Northumberland
203 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Maidstone Bends Preserve619 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Cape Horn State Forest2,195 acres · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Northumberland Watershed Forest443 acres
Bag Hill Town Forest203 acres · Town of Northumberland
Lost Nation Preserve124 acres · Legacy Forest Trust
Nash Stream Forest6 acres
Eames Wayside Area2 acres
Who protects it
5,052 conserved acres
22% of Northumberland’s land. Who manages Northumberland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,213 ac
U.S. Forest Service799 ac
Other state land402 ac
Town or city159 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land124 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)104 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service4 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,032 acPrivate Conservation · 1,190 acNational Forest · 787 acLocal Resource Management Area · 577 acConservation Easement · 428 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 226 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Horn State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,032 | Unknown |
| White Mountain Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 787 | Open |
| Maidstone Bends Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 691 | Restricted |
| Northumberland Watershed Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 373 | Unknown |
| Kilkenny Matrix Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 286 | Unknown |
| Connecticut River Wetlands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 242 | Unknown |
| Bag Hill Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 204 | Unknown |
| Frizzell Private Agricultural | Other state land | 200 | Unknown |
| Maidstone Bends Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 120 | Closed |
| Maidstone Bends - Potter Farm Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Northumberland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Northumberland
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Northumberland
Cape Horn2,037 ft elevation · In Cape Horn State Forest
DirectionsMorse Mountain1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsMoore Mountain1,499 ft elevation
DirectionsBeech Hill1,401 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
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
3Baseball
2Tennis
1Softball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Northumberland: May 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Northumberland →
Next door
Northumberland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland | 22% | 0.3 | 124 | 55% | A− |
| Stark | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lancaster | 14% | 0.5 | 222 | 44% | A− |
| Stratford | — 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 Northumberland
Where can I hike in Northumberland?
The longest trail networks: Maidstone Bends Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northumberland is conserved land?
22% 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 Northumberland’s trails?
Maidstone Bends Preserve and Cape Horn State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Northumberland?
74,549 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northumberland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,027 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northumberland have?
Ahead of 80% 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 Northumberland 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 →