Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir
Managed by NH Department of Resources & Economic Development
2,562 acres4.4 mi of trail
Chair Factory Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Salisbury
21% of Salisbury’s land is conserved: 5,313 acres
223 acres are parks and preserves, 139 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir (4.4 mi), Elliot and Catherine Reiner Woodland Conservancy (2.8 mi), State Forest Nursery (0.6 mi). 29 miles of mapped trail cross Salisbury, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
5,313 acres · of 39.6 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
223 ac
139 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,821 ft
Sawyer Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Salisbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salisbury is ahead of 78% 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 Salisbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land139 acres of park per 1,000 residents (223 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home16% 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 78%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Salisbury’s 21% is ahead of 62% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 9% 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 Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir, with 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elliot and Catherine Reiner Woodland Conservancy
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
657 acres2.8 mi of trail
North Rangeway
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
State Forest Nursery
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
440 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mount Kearsarge State Forest
Managed by New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
362 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Porkepyn Rylle
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
211 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir2,562 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · NH Department of Resources & Economic Development
Elliot and Catherine Reiner Woodland Conservancy657 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
State Forest Nursery440 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Mount Kearsarge State Forest362 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
Porkepyn Rylle211 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Leonard Wildlife Management Area10 acres · NH Fish & Game
Maplewood Recreation Field4 acres · Town of Salisbury
Wayne and Trudy Beaver Saga Pond Forest1 acres · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Who protects it
5,313 conserved acres
21% of Salisbury’s land. Who manages Salisbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,129 ac
State natural resources2,966 ac
Other state land203 ac
Joint4 ac
Not recorded676 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,993 acFederal Other or Unknown · 2,573 acState Resource Management Area · 833 acPrivate Conservation · 215 acUnknown Easement · 140 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,569 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 26 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir Federal Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 2,573 | Unknown |
| State Forest Nursery State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 440 | Unknown |
| Mount Kearsarge State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 393 | Unknown |
| Porkepyn Rylle Private Conservation | Not recorded | 211 | Open |
| Sanborn - Agricultural Preservation Restriction Private Agricultural | Other state land | 102 | Unknown |
| Benjamin Shaw Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Wayne and Trudy Beaver Saga Pond Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Salisbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Salisbury
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Salisbury
Sawyer Hill1,821 ft elevation
DirectionsRaccoon Hill1,175 ft elevation
DirectionsSearles Hill1,047 ft elevation
DirectionsLovering Hill945 ft elevation
DirectionsBean Hill774 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 16.8 mi
Chair Factory Trail2.0 mi
South Ramgeway1.5 mi
North Rangeway0.5 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
1Soccer
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Salisbury Academy BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Salisbury: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Salisbury →
Next door
Salisbury and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Salisbury
Where can I hike in Salisbury?
The longest trail networks: Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir, 4.4 miles; Elliot and Catherine Reiner Woodland Conservancy, 2.8 miles; State Forest Nursery, 0.6 miles; Mount Kearsarge State Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salisbury is conserved land?
21% 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 Salisbury’s trails?
Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir and Elliot and Catherine Reiner Woodland Conservancy don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Salisbury?
9,442 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salisbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 223 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Salisbury have?
Ahead of 78% 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 Salisbury 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 →