Red Hill River Conservation Area
Managed by Lakes Region Conservation Trust
399 acres2.4 mi of trail
Red Hill River TrailJocelyn's TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Beede Farm · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sandwich
45% of Sandwich’s land is conserved: 26,163 acres
576 acres are parks and preserves, 328 per 1,000 residents. 94 miles of mapped trail cross Sandwich, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Red Hill River Conservation Area (2.4 mi), Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary (1.7 mi), Five Finger Point Natural Area (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
45%
26,163 acres · of 90.9 sq mi of land
Trails
94 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
576 ac
328 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,907 ft
Flat Mountain
Lakes & rivers
23
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Sandwich?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild45% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.Room to roam328 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 81% of U.S. towns.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sandwich have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sandwich is ahead of 86% 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 Sandwich’s overall grade.
Conserved land45% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (94 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land328 acres of park per 1,000 residents (576 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% 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 86%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Sandwich’s 45% is ahead of 94% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 33% 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 Red Hill River Conservation Area, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Audubon Society of NH
318 acres1.7 mi of trail
Wilderness TrailFred Steele Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Five Finger Point Natural Area
Managed by University of New Hampshire
76 acres1.1 mi of trail
Five Finger Point Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Doublehead Preserve
Managed by Squam Lakes Conservation Society
136 acres1 mi of trail
Doublehead TrailEastman Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rich Memorial Forest
Managed by New England Forestry Foundation
92 acres0.9 mi of trail
Pasture PathTilton Spring PathRed PathBlueberry Ledge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eastman Brook Preserve
Managed by Squam Lakes Conservation Society
87 acres0.9 mi of trail
Eastman Brook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tewksbury Brook Preserve
Managed by Lakes Region Conservation Trust
384 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pinehurst
Managed by Pinehurst Association
58 acres0.6 mi of trail
Five Finger Point TrailEast Rattlesnake TrailCol TrailRidge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Red Hill River Conservation Area399 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary318 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Audubon Society of NH
DirectionsFive Finger Point Natural Area76 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · University of New Hampshire
Doublehead Preserve136 acres · 1 mi of trail · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Rich Memorial Forest92 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Eastman Brook Preserve87 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
DirectionsTewksbury Brook Preserve384 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Pinehurst58 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Pinehurst Association
Merriman Forest101 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Sandwich Notch Park68 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Sandwich
DirectionsSandwich Town Forest170 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Sandwich
Chapman Wildlife Sanctuary57 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Chapman Sanctuary & Visny Woods
Oliver Butterworth Natural Area33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Allen Preserve23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
DirectionsLevi Smith Conservation Area105 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Metcalf Preserve84 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Tompkins Preserve82 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
East Rattlesnake78 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Visny Woods61 acres · Chapman Sanctuary & Visny Woods
Sharp Forest59 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Mill Brook Preserve46 acres · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Sunshine Park22 acres
Daphne Preserve15 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Ridgley Preserve14 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
Wallace Marsh12 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
DirectionsJimmy Point Preserve8 acres · Lakes Region Conservation Trust
Everett Field4 acres
DirectionsQuimby Field4 acres
DirectionsSmith Brook Conservation Area4 acres · Squam Lakes Conservation Society
DirectionsRemick Park1 acres
Who protects it
26,163 conserved acres
45% of Sandwich’s land. Who manages Sandwich’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service17,051 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7,520 ac
Town or city3,173 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,300 ac
State natural resources163 ac
Other state land152 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)134 ac
National Forest · 17,051 acConservation Easement · 8,276 acUnknown Easement · 3,414 acPrivate Conservation · 3,046 acLocal Other or Unknown · 242 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,638 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 168 of 222 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Mountain National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 8,895 | Open |
| White Mountain Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 8,156 | Open |
| Red Hill River Lot - Emerson 2 Private Conservation | Not recorded | 341 | Unknown |
| Sandwich Notch - Emerson 1 Private Conservation | Not recorded | 264 | Unknown |
| Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Refuge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 238 | Unknown |
| Bearcamp 1 Private Conservation | Not recorded | 192 | Unknown |
| Sandwich Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 167 | Unknown |
| Maple Ridge Road Lot - Emerson 5 Private Conservation | Not recorded | 142 | Unknown |
| Colonel Lewis Smith Lot - Peaslee Local Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 129 | Unknown |
| Coolidge Land Private Conservation | Not recorded | 129 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in Sandwich
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sandwich
Bearcamp Beach
DirectionsSandwich Town Beach
DirectionsWaterfalls in Sandwich
Beede FallsIn Sandwich Notch Park
DirectionsGreat Falls
DirectionsLower FallsIn Sandwich Notch Park
DirectionsLower Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Sandwich
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Sandwich
Flat Mountain2,907 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Mountain2,723 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Israel2,625 ft elevation
DirectionsDinsmore Mountain2,303 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Squam2,169 ft elevation
DirectionsDoublehead Mountain2,116 ft elevation
DirectionsYoung Mountain1,893 ft elevation
DirectionsGuinea Hill1,765 ft elevation
Directions14 more peaks
Eagle Cliff1,378 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Katherine1,371 ft elevation
DirectionsPeaked Hill1,365 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Rattlesnake1,293 ft elevation
DirectionsMaple Ridge1,220 ft elevation
DirectionsBrown Hill1,217 ft elevation
DirectionsDiamond Ledge1,158 ft elevation
DirectionsTasker Hill1,060 ft elevation
DirectionsBuzzell Ridge922 ft elevation
DirectionsBurley Hill830 ft elevation
DirectionsTop of the World827 ft elevation
DirectionsBragg Ledge748 ft elevation
DirectionsVittum Hill663 ft elevation
DirectionsWentworth Hill
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Sandwich
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Sandwich
Site #1Friends of Mead Base Conservation Center
DirectionsSite #2Friends of Mead Base Conservation Center
DirectionsSite #3Friends of Mead Base Conservation Center
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 23 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 17.1 mi
Flat Mountain Pond Trail5.3 mi
Algonquin Trail4.0 mi
Guinea Pond Trail3.9 mi
Crawford-Ridgepole Trail3.2 mi
Black Mountain Pond Trail3.0 mi
Bennett Street Trail2.9 mi
Smarts Brook Trail2.5 mi
Beebe River Railroad2.3 mi
McCrillis Path2.2 mi
Wentworth Trail1.9 mi
15 more trails
Five Finger Point Trail
1.8 miMead Trail
1.6 miGleason Trail (Decommissioned)
1.5 miWilderness Trail
1.4 miDoublehead Trail
1.3 miBlueberry Ledge Trail
1.2 miRed Hill River Trail
1.1 miMcCrillis Trail
1.1 miEastman Brook Trail
1.0 miPasture Path
0.9 miEagle Cliff Trail
0.9 miTilton Spring Path
0.9 miLedges
0.9 miJocelyn's Trail
0.8 miHigh Water Bypass
0.7 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Al's PondpondAtwood PondpondBarville PondpondBearcamp PondpondBlack Mountain PondpondBragg PondDinsmore PondlakeGuinea PondIntervale PondpondKiah PondKusumpe PondpondLittle PondpondLower Hall PondMiddle Hall PondRed Hill PondpondTeacup LakeUpper Hall PondBearcamp RiverBeebe RiverCold RiverPond BrookRed Hill RiverWhiteface River
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
8Tennis
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Town HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itDurgin BridgeStructure · listed 1983
About itHansen's AnnexBuilding · listed 1983
About itCenter Sandwich Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itNorth Sandwich Meeting HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itBradbury Jewell HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itLower Corner Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itBeede FarmBuilding · listed 2012
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Sandwich: May, June, 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Sandwich →
Next door
Sandwich and its neighbors
Sandwich has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich | 45% | 1.0 | 328 | 21% | A |
| Moultonborough | 38% | 1.4 | 76 | 30% | A |
| Waterville Valley | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Campton | 11% | 0.8 | 3 | 6% | C+ |
| Tamworth | 45% | 1.1 | 341 | 32% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sandwich
Where can I hike in Sandwich?
The longest trail networks: Red Hill River Conservation Area, 2.4 miles; Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary, 1.7 miles; Five Finger Point Natural Area, 1.1 miles; Doublehead Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sandwich is conserved land?
45% 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 Sandwich’s trails?
Red Hill River Conservation Area and Alice Bemis Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sandwich?
105,295 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sandwich or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 11,376 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sandwich have?
Ahead of 86% 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 Sandwich 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 →