R.H. Webb Forest Preserve
Managed by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
377 acres2.3 mi of trail
Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Sunapee
17% of Sunapee’s land is conserved: 2,353 acres
19 miles of mapped trail cross Sunapee, 0.9 per square mile of land. 129 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (2.3 mi), Wendell Marsh (1.4 mi), R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (V-Oz) (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #77 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
2,353 acres · of 21.1 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
129 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,585 ft
Trow Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
9 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sunapee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sunapee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sunapee is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #77 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 Sunapee’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (129 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home29% 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 77%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 39%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Sunapee’s 17% is ahead of 47% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 22% of them.
Water is 16% of Sunapee’s area (4 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 15%.
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 R.H. Webb Forest Preserve, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wendell Marsh
Managed by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
317 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (V-Oz)
Managed by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
38 acres0.8 mi of trail
Concord & Claremont
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Frank H. Simpson Reserve
Managed by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
125 acres0.6 mi of trail
Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rowell MacWilliams Woodlot
Managed by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
264 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tilton Park
Managed by Town of Sunapee
20 acres0.3 mi of trail
Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve377 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
DirectionsWendell Marsh317 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (V-Oz)38 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Frank H. Simpson Reserve125 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Rowell MacWilliams Woodlot264 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Tilton Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Sunapee
DirectionsDewey Woods94 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Sunapee
DirectionsCoffin Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Sunapee
DirectionsLedge Pond104 acres · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Cemetery Hill Wildlife Management Area98 acres · NH Fish & Game
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (Dane Lot)78 acres · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (Harrison Lot)69 acres · Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Gordon Wildlife Management Area35 acres · NH Fish & Game
Wendell Marsh Wildlife Management Area11 acres · NH Fish & Game
Veterans Field4 acres
DirectionsBen Mere Park3 acres · Town of Sunapee
DirectionsWho protects it
2,353 conserved acres
17% of Sunapee’s land. Water is left out: Sunapee has 21.1 square miles of land and 4.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Sunapee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,595 ac
Town or city1,425 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government481 ac
Joint254 ac
Regional Water Districts7 ac
Not recorded471 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,917 acUnknown Easement · 739 acLocal Other or Unknown · 369 acState Conservation Area · 150 acLocal Conservation Area · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,775 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 66 of 80 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledge Pond Properties Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 109 | Unknown |
| Dewey Woods Local Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 107 | Unknown |
| Dobles Tract State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 98 | Unknown |
| Bartlett-Tyler Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Gordon Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 40 | Unknown |
| Webb-Flint Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| School District SAU #43 Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Landfill Lot Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Collins Lot Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Georges Mills Water Works Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 12 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Sunapee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sunapee
Dewey Beach
DirectionsGeorges Mills Beach
DirectionsPlus 7 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Sunapee
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Sunapee
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Sunapee
Georges Mills Boat Launch
DirectionsSunapee Harbor Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Sunapee
Trow Hill1,585 ft elevation
DirectionsMica Mine Hill1,568 ft elevation
DirectionsBlueberry Mountain1,509 ft elevation
DirectionsCemetery Hill1,490 ft elevation · In Cemetery Hill Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsBrown Hill1,457 ft elevation
DirectionsBurkehaven Hill1,378 ft elevation
DirectionsKeyser Hill1,371 ft elevation
DirectionsYoungs Hill1,365 ft elevation
Directions3 more peaks
Baisdell Hill1,312 ft elevation · In Tilton Park
DirectionsTucker Hill1,293 ft elevation
DirectionsGarnet Hill1,198 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Sunapee
Tilton Park Disc GolfIn Tilton Park
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 15.3 mi
Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway4.1 mi
Concord & Claremont2.2 mi
Old Route 110.6 mi
OLd Route 110.2 mi
Sunapee Riverwalk0.2 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
29Tennis
5Basketball
4Pickleball
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sunapee: 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Sunapee →
Next door
Sunapee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunapee | 17% | 0.9 | 38 | 29% | A− |
| New London | 21% | 1.6 | 88 | 50% | A |
| Newbury | 34% | 1.1 | 1,543 | 32% | A |
| Goshen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Croydon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Springfield | 40% | 1.2 | 508 | 30% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sunapee
Where can I hike in Sunapee?
The longest trail networks: R.H. Webb Forest Preserve, 2.3 miles; Wendell Marsh, 1.4 miles; R.H. Webb Forest Preserve (V-Oz), 0.8 miles; Frank H. Simpson Reserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sunapee is conserved land?
17% 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 Sunapee’s trails?
R.H. Webb Forest Preserve and Wendell Marsh don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sunapee?
17,162 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sunapee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 358 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sunapee have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 Sunapee 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 →