Horatio Colony Nature Preserve
Managed by Antioch University
279 acres2.7 mi of trail
Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail (Ridgeline Trail to Forest Ave)Ridgeline TrailBlack Lead Mine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Swanzey
Swanzey has 52 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
407 acres are parks and preserves, 55 per 1,000 residents. 10% of Swanzey’s land is conserved, about 2,837 acres. The biggest trail networks: Horatio Colony Nature Preserve (2.7 mi), Yale Toumey Forest (1.9 mi), Honey Hill Conservation Area (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #78 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,837 acres · of 45.0 sq mi of land
Trails
52 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
407 ac
55 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
4.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,273 ft
Rattlesnake Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Swanzey?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Swanzey have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swanzey is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #78 of 126 in New Hampshire. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Swanzey’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (52 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land55 acres of park per 1,000 residents (407 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 38%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Swanzey’s 10% is ahead of 14% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 47% 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 Horatio Colony Nature Preserve, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Yale Toumey Forest
Managed by Yale University
1,319 acres1.9 mi of trail
Old Route 10
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Honey Hill Conservation Area
Managed by Swanzey Conservation Commission
176 acres1.6 mi of trail
Blue TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Honey Hill Parking
Mount Caesar Trails
Managed by Town of Swanzey
221 acres1.4 mi of trail
Tower Trail (red)Elijah's Epic Summit Trail (yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tippin Rock Farm Conservation Easement
Managed by Monadnock Conservancy
136 acres1 mi of trail
Tippin Rock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Horatio Colony Nature Preserve279 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Antioch University
Yale Toumey Forest1,319 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Yale University
Honey Hill Conservation Area176 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Swanzey Conservation Commission
DirectionsMount Caesar Trails221 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Town of Swanzey
DirectionsTippin Rock Farm Conservation Easement136 acres · 1 mi of trail · Monadnock Conservancy
Mount Cresson Conservation Area152 acres · Swanzey Conservation Commission
Dickinson Memorial Forest76 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Muster Field13 acres · Town of Swanzey
Town of Swanzey Ball Fields10 acres
Richardson Park7 acres · Town of Swanzey
Who protects it
2,837 conserved acres
10% of Swanzey’s land. Who manages Swanzey’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,833 ac
Town or city197 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government184 ac
Other state land152 ac
Joint131 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)67 ac
State fish & wildlife15 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,937 acLocal Other or Unknown · 645 acPrivate Conservation · 549 acUnknown Easement · 137 acAgricultural Easement · 77 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,568 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 48 of 71 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter Home Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 224 | Unknown |
| Birdsey and Michel Wildlife Sanctuaries Private Conservation | Not recorded | 167 | Unknown |
| Olsen / Wolf Creek Investments, LLC Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 154 | Unknown |
| Carpenter and French Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 152 | Unknown |
| Horatio Colony Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 76 | Unknown |
| Keene Forestry Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Page Mountain Meadow Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Unknown |
| Dickinson Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Hill Pasture Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 55 | Unknown |
| Belding Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 54 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Swanzey
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Swanzey
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Swanzey
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Swanzey
Rattlesnake Mountain1,273 ft elevation
DirectionsGun Mountain1,184 ft elevation
DirectionsBullard Mountain1,063 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Caesar965 ft elevation · In Mount Caesar Trails
DirectionsForbush Hill928 ft elevation
DirectionsMarcy Hill922 ft elevation
DirectionsHewes Hill912 ft elevation · In Tippin Rock Farm Conservation Easement
DirectionsHoney Hill886 ft elevation · In Honey Hill Conservation Area
Directions2 more peaks
Mount Huggins883 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Cresson814 ft elevation · In Mount Cresson Conservation Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Swanzey
Pilgrim Pines Camping Area
DirectionsSwanzey Lake Camping Area
DirectionsDisc golf in Swanzey
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.6 miUnpaved · 8.9 mi
Cheshire Rail Trail3.2 mi
Ashuelot Rail Trail2.5 mi
Blue Trail1.3 mi
Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail (Ridgeline Trail to Forest Ave)1.3 mi
Old Route 101.0 mi
Tippin Rock Trail1.0 mi
Tower Trail (red)0.9 mi
Ridgeline Trail0.6 mi
Elijah's Epic Summit Trail (yellow)0.5 mi
Carroll's Hill Path0.5 mi
3 more trails
Yellow Trail
0.2 miBlack Lead Mine Trail
0.2 miWantastiquet-Monadnock Trail (Prouty Road -Chesterfield Rd)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Cheshire Recreational Rail TrailBike route
3.2 miAshuelot Recreational TrailBike route
2.5 miCourts & fields
7Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
3Football
2Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Swanzey: May 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Swanzey →
Next door
Swanzey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanzey | 10% | 1.2 | 55 | 29% | A− |
| Troy | 15% | 1.2 | 137 | 55% | A |
| Marlborough | 22% | 1.0 | 209 | 45% | A |
| Keene | 22% | 2.2 | 103 | 84% | A+ |
| Winchester | 28% | 1.1 | 2,049 | 36% | A |
| Richmond | 14% | 1.4 | 322 | 26% | A− |
| Chesterfield | 25% | 1.3 | 1,337 | 26% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Swanzey
Where can I hike in Swanzey?
The longest trail networks: Horatio Colony Nature Preserve, 2.7 miles; Yale Toumey Forest, 1.9 miles; Honey Hill Conservation Area, 1.6 miles; Mount Caesar Trails, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swanzey is conserved land?
10% 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 Swanzey’s trails?
Horatio Colony Nature Preserve and Yale Toumey Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swanzey?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: Cheshire Recreational Rail Trail and Ashuelot Recreational Trail.
Is there public land near Swanzey?
42,026 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swanzey or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 407 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swanzey have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Swanzey 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 →