Rhododendron State Park
Park
1,188 acres4.7 mi of trail
Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Richmond
Richmond has 424 acres of parks, 322 for every 1,000 residents
52 miles of mapped trail cross Richmond, 1.4 per square mile of land. 14% of Richmond’s land is conserved, about 3,266 acres. The biggest trail networks: Rhododendron State Park (4.7 mi), Quint Preserve (1.3 mi), Bennett Town Forest (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
3,266 acres · of 37.5 sq mi of land
Trails
52 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
424 ac
322 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,463 ft
Grassy Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Richmond?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam322 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 87% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild14% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Richmond is ahead of 84% 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 Richmond’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (52 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land322 acres of park per 1,000 residents (424 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home26% 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 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Richmond’s 14% is ahead of 32% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% 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 Rhododendron State Park, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Quint Preserve
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
285 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bennett Town Forest
Nature preserve
312 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barden Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
126 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Rhododendron State Park1,188 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
Quint Preserve285 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Bennett Town Forest312 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Bennett Gorge8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Barden Wildlife Management Area126 acres
Richmond Town Forest - Allen Lot53 acres
Richmond Town Forest - Taylor-Newell Lot43 acres
Richmond Town Forest - Sheperdson Lot5 acres
Amidon Park2 acres
Who protects it
3,266 conserved acres
14% of Richmond’s land. Who manages Richmond’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,475 ac
State natural resources1,197 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,188 ac
Town or city419 ac
Not recorded944 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,402 acUnknown Easement · 1,483 acPrivate Conservation · 679 acLocal Other or Unknown · 236 acResearch or Educational Area · 189 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,928 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Reserve Association Open Space Private Conservation | Town or city | 361 | Unknown |
| Quint Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 285 | Unknown |
| Goss Woods Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 189 | Unknown |
| South Cemetery Route 32 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 130 | Unknown |
| Barden Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 121 | Unknown |
| Martin Cook Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| Taylor-Newell Lot - Richmond Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 58 | Unknown |
| Richmond Town Forest, Allen Lot Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| Olsen / Wolf Creek Investments, LLC Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Unknown |
| Bennett Town Forest Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Richmond
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Richmond
Richmond Town Beach at Cass Pond
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Richmond
Grassy Hill1,463 ft elevation
DirectionsAttleboro Mountain1,401 ft elevation
DirectionsScott Mountain1,345 ft elevation
DirectionsWillard Mountain1,339 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill1,247 ft elevation
DirectionsWhipple Hill1,243 ft elevation
DirectionsBuffum Hill1,220 ft elevation
DirectionsCook Hill1,207 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Willis Mountain1,207 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 2.1 mi
Metacomet-Monadnock Trail3.3 mi
Devil's Stair Hill0.5 mi
Bennett Gorge0.2 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
4Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Richmond: May and July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Richmond →
Next door
Richmond 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 14% | 1.4 | 322 | 26% | A− |
| Winchester | 28% | 1.1 | 2,049 | 36% | A |
| Troy | 15% | 1.2 | 137 | 55% | A |
| Swanzey | 10% | 1.2 | 55 | 29% | A− |
| Fitzwilliam | 8% | 1.0 | 325 | 16% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Richmond
Where can I hike in Richmond?
The longest trail networks: Rhododendron State Park, 4.7 miles; Quint Preserve, 1.3 miles; Bennett Town Forest, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Richmond 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 Richmond’s trails?
Rhododendron State Park and Quint Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Richmond?
65,362 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richmond or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 426 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Richmond 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 →