Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Nature preserve
1,314 acres11 mi of trail
Mount Cube TrailKodak TrailJ TrailCross Rivendell Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto AT Route 25A
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Orford
Orford has 152 acres of parks, 117 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Orford’s land is conserved, about 4,234 acres. 44 miles of mapped trail cross Orford, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Appalachian National Scenic Trail (11 mi), Appalachian Trail Tract 192-19 (1.4 mi), Mountain View Farm (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
4,234 acres · of 46.5 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
152 ac
117 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,864 ft
Mount Cube
Lakes & rivers
6
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Orford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Orford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orford is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. 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 Orford’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land117 acres of park per 1,000 residents (152 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home23% 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 79%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Orford’s 14% is ahead of 34% 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 Appalachian National Scenic Trail, with 11 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Appalachian Trail Tract 192-19
Nature preserve
174 acres1.4 mi of trail
Atwell Hill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto AT Route 25A
Mountain View Farm
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
145 acres0.8 mi of trail
Ledge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stonehouse Mountain Conservation Area
Managed by Upper Valley Land Trust
259 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Appalachian National Scenic Trail1,314 acres · 11 mi of trail
DirectionsAppalachian Trail Tract 192-19174 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMountain View Farm145 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Upper Valley Land Trust
Stonehouse Mountain Conservation Area259 acres · Upper Valley Land Trust
Reeds Wildlife Management Area69 acres · NH Fish & Game
Richmond Conservation Area11 acres · Upper Valley Land Trust
Orford Community Field9 acres
Who protects it
4,234 conserved acres
14% of Orford’s land. Who manages Orford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,581 ac
National Park Service2,190 ac
U.S. Forest Service1,763 ac
Town or city555 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)434 ac
Other state land298 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government298 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,113 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 1,306 acNational Forest · 1,301 acUnknown Easement · 1,131 acLocal Other or Unknown · 145 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,539 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 74 of 86 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 1,306 | Open |
| White Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,275 | Open |
| Mountain View Farm - Quinttown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Zaldestani Private Conservation | Town or city | 127 | Closed |
| Reeds Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| White Mountain Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 26 | Open |
| Orford Village District Private Conservation | Town or city | 10 | Unknown |
Things to do
22 places to go in Orford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Orford
Lower Baker Pond Boat Access
DirectionsUpper Baker Pond Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Orford
Eastman LedgeIn Appalachian National Scenic Trail
DirectionsviewIn Appalachian National Scenic Trail
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Orford
Mount Cube2,864 ft elevation · In Appalachian National Scenic Trail
DirectionsStonehouse Mountain1,988 ft elevation · In Stonehouse Mountain Conservation Area
DirectionsEastman Ledges1,890 ft elevation
DirectionsSunday Mountain1,791 ft elevation
DirectionsBundy Mountain1,755 ft elevation
DirectionsCottonstone Mountain1,749 ft elevation
DirectionsAtwell Hill1,532 ft elevation
DirectionsBlooms Mountain1,391 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Strawberry Hill1,214 ft elevation
DirectionsDame Hill1,148 ft elevation
DirectionsBlackberry Hill1,053 ft elevation
DirectionsEcho Hill883 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 3 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.2 mi
Cross Rivendell Trail10.9 mi
Mount Cube Trail3.0 mi
Kodak Trail2.7 mi
J Trail2.2 mi
Indian Pond Heritage Trail2.1 mi
Ledge Trail1.9 mi
Atwell Hill Trail1.4 mi
Daniel Doan Trail1.1 mi
North Cube Spur0.3 mi
Hexacuba Shelter Spur0.1 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
7Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
1Soccer
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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 Orford: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 39 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Orford →
Next door
Orford and its neighbors
Orford has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orford | 14% | 1.0 | 117 | 23% | A− |
| Wentworth | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Piermont | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lyme | 39% | 1.9 | 204 | 17% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Orford
Where can I hike in Orford?
The longest trail networks: Appalachian National Scenic Trail, 11 miles; Appalachian Trail Tract 192-19, 1.4 miles; Mountain View Farm, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orford is conserved land?
14% 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 Orford’s trails?
Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Appalachian Trail Tract 192-19 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Orford?
50,725 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,443 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Orford have?
Ahead of 79% 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 Orford 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 →