Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands
Managed by Blue Hills Foundation
1,842 acres9.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parker Mountain Trailhead
Photo: Andrew Sawyer · CC BY 2.5A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Strafford
29% of Strafford’s land is conserved: 9,197 acres
71 miles of mapped trail cross Strafford, 1.4 per square mile of land. 210 acres are parks and preserves, 49 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands (9.6 mi), Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land (8.1 mi), Strafford Town Forest (7.3 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #62 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
9,197 acres · of 49.0 sq mi of land
Trails
71 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
210 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,316 ft
Parker Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
10 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Strafford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Strafford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Strafford is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #62 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Strafford’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (71 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (210 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home15% 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 81%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 51%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Strafford’s 29% is ahead of 82% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% 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 Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands, with 9.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land
Managed by Blue Hills Foundation
2,159 acres8.1 mi of trail
Spencer Smith Trail (red)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parker Mountain Trailhead
Strafford Town Forest
Managed by Strafford Conservation Commission
1,246 acres7.3 mi of trail
Neil Mooers Trail (orange)Spencer Smith Trail (red)Link Trail (blue)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Blue Hills Foundation Lands
Managed by Blue Hills Foundation
1,344 acres4.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Isinglass River Conservation Reserve
Managed by Strafford Conservation Commission
398 acres3.8 mi of trail
Snowmobile PathBeaver Pond LoopFoss Mill TrailMeadow Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Johnsonboro Road Preserve
Managed by Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
200 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands1,842 acres · 9.6 mi of trail · Blue Hills Foundation
DirectionsBlue Hills Foundation Conservation Land2,159 acres · 8.1 mi of trail · Blue Hills Foundation
DirectionsStrafford Town Forest1,246 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · Strafford Conservation Commission
DirectionsBlue Hills Foundation Lands1,344 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Blue Hills Foundation
DirectionsIsinglass River Conservation Reserve398 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Strafford Conservation Commission
DirectionsJohnsonboro Road Preserve200 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
Big River Basin Lot - Town Forest77 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Strafford Conservation Commission
Dupee Lot28 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Strafford
Leighton Forest110 acres · Southeast Land Trust
Annie French Lot20 acres · Town of Strafford
Spruce Ponds Wetlands12 acres · Town of Strafford
Berry River Lots7 acres
Wathne Lot/Town Forest6 acres · Town of Strafford
Northwood Ridge Water Supply Land2 acres · Village of Northwood Ridge Water District
Bow Lake Public Boat Access2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
9,197 conserved acres
29% of Strafford’s land. Who manages Strafford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits9,893 ac
Town or city437 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)240 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land236 ac
Private owners111 ac
Joint25 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Conservation Easement · 8,373 acUnknown Easement · 1,554 acPrivate Conservation · 1,321 acLocal Resource Management Area · 719 acLocal Conservation Area · 459 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6,566 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 119 of 144 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Hills Foundation Lands Private Conservation | Not recorded | 1,210 | Unknown |
| Storer Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 434 | Unknown |
| Isinglass River 1 Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 285 | Restricted |
| Leighton Forest Private Conservation | Private owners | 111 | Unknown |
| Merrill's Lot Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 103 | Unknown |
| Weidman Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 77 | Unknown |
| James H. Edgerly, Jr. Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 75 | Unknown |
| Isinglass River 2 Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 71 | Restricted |
| Big River Lot - Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 71 | Unknown |
| Town of Strafford Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Strafford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Strafford
10 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Strafford
Bow Lake Public Boat Ramp
DirectionsKooakee Island Boat Launch - Beach
DirectionsKooakee Island Boat Launch - Cove
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Strafford
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Strafford
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Strafford
Parker Mountain1,316 ft elevation · In Strafford Town Forest
DirectionsEvans Mountain1,214 ft elevation · In Strafford Town Forest
DirectionsSanders Ledge1,119 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Foundation Lands
DirectionsMack Mountain1,053 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill935 ft elevation · In Northwood Ridge Water Supply Land
DirectionsCaverly Hill676 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Strafford
KOA - Stratford / Lake Winnipesaukee South
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miUnpaved · 32.8 mi
Neil Mooers Trail (orange)1.9 mi
Spencer Smith Trail (red)1.7 mi
Snowmobile Path0.8 mi
Beaver Pond Loop0.7 mi
Link Trail (blue)0.4 mi
Foss Mill Trail0.4 mi
Tower Loop South0.3 mi
Tower Loop North0.3 mi
Meadow Loop0.3 mi
Fire Road 320.2 mi
2 more trails
Cattle Path
0.2 miFire Road 34
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Strafford Union AcademyBuilding · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Strafford: 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) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Strafford →
Next door
Strafford and its neighbors
Strafford has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Barrington73 miStrafford71 miBarnstead48 miRochester46 miNorthwood39 miFarmington39 miPittsfield37 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford | 29% | 1.4 | 49 | 15% | A− |
| Farmington | 13% | 1.1 | 12 | 46% | B+ |
| Barnstead | 5% | 1.1 | 7 | 27% | B− |
| Barrington | 24% | 1.6 | 21 | 28% | A− |
| Northwood | 17% | 1.4 | 203 | 27% | A |
| Rochester | 9% | 1.0 | 15 | 43% | B+ |
| Pittsfield | 10% | 1.6 | 17 | 45% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Strafford
Where can I hike in Strafford?
The longest trail networks: Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands, 9.6 miles; Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land, 8.1 miles; Strafford Town Forest, 7.3 miles; Blue Hills Foundation Lands, 4.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Strafford is conserved land?
29% 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 Strafford’s trails?
Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands and Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Strafford?
18,982 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Strafford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 451 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Strafford have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #62 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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 Strafford 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 →