Temple Mountain State Reservation
Managed by State of New Hampshire
278 acres3.6 mi of trail
Beebe TrailWapack TrailBeebe ConnnectorBeebe Trail spur
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Temple Mountain Parking
Birchwood Inn · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Temple
Temple has 1,200 acres of parks, 880 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Temple’s land is conserved, about 3,235 acres. 31 miles of mapped trail cross Temple, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Temple Mountain State Reservation (3.6 mi), Heald Tract (1.8 mi), Miller State Park (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
3,235 acres · of 22.3 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,200 ac
880 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
19%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,044 ft
Holt Peak
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Temple?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Temple have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Temple is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Temple’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land880 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,200 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home19% 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 87%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Temple’s 23% is ahead of 70% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% 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 Temple Mountain State Reservation, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heald Tract
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
193 acres1.8 mi of trail
Fisk Hill - Spring TrailHeald Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Miller State Park
Park
381 acres1.3 mi of trail
Marion Davis TrailWapack Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Temple Mountain Parking
Joanne Bass Bross Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
427 acres0.8 mi of trail
Marion Davis TrailWapack Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Wapack National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Forest Service
367 acres0.7 mi of trail
Wapack TrailCliff Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
West Highlands Preserve
Managed by Piscataquog Land Conservancy
74 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Temple Mountain State Reservation278 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · State of New Hampshire
DirectionsHeald Tract193 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Miller State Park381 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJoanne Bass Bross Preserve427 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Wapack National Wildlife Refuge367 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
West Highlands Preserve74 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Piscataquog Land Conservancy
Cabot Memorial Forest26 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · New England Forestry Foundation
Temple Town Forest50 acres · Temple Conservation Commission
Chris Weston Conservation Area25 acres · Temple Conservation Commission
Kendall Ledges18 acres · Temple Conservation Commission
Who protects it
3,235 conserved acres
23% of Temple’s land. Who manages Temple’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,455 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service735 ac
State natural resources494 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)154 ac
Town or city139 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government139 ac
Other state land107 ac
Conservation Easement · 2,346 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 735 acPrivate Conservation · 639 acState Park · 381 acState Resource Management Area · 278 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,313 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 40 of 63 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapack National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 735 | Restricted |
| Joanne Bass Bross Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 412 | Unknown |
| Miller State Park State Park | State natural resources | 387 | Unknown |
| Temple Mountain State Reservation State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 278 | Unknown |
| Heald Tracts Private Conservation | Not recorded | 137 | Unknown |
| Souhegan Watershed Site #12A Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Skladany Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 65 | Unknown |
| Temple Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| Heald Tracts - Class 1 EcoReserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Cabot Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Temple
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Temple
Currier OutlookIn Temple Mountain State Reservation
DirectionsRoger Myrick Outlook
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Temple
Holt Peak2,044 ft elevation
DirectionsTemple Mountain1,955 ft elevation · In Temple Mountain State Reservation
DirectionsWhitcomb Peak1,719 ft elevation
DirectionsHoward Hill1,283 ft elevation
DirectionsFisk Hill1,211 ft elevation
DirectionsKendall Ledge1,207 ft elevation · In Kendall Ledges
DirectionsWilson Hill1,138 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.5 mi
Wapack Trail2.6 mi
Marion Davis Trail0.9 mi
Wapack Trail – Cabot Skyline0.9 mi
Beebe Trail0.6 mi
Fisk Hill - Spring Trail0.5 mi
Heald Pond Trail0.2 mi
Beebe Connnector0.1 mi
Lakes & 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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Temple: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 41 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Temple →
Next door
Temple 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 23% | 1.4 | 880 | 19% | A |
| Sharon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Peterborough | 32% | 1.1 | 89 | 45% | A |
| New Ipswich | 23% | 0.7 | 8 | 9% | B |
| Wilton | 24% | 0.8 | 133 | 36% | A− |
| Lyndeborough | 21% | 1.5 | 131 | 13% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Temple
Where can I hike in Temple?
The longest trail networks: Temple Mountain State Reservation, 3.6 miles; Heald Tract, 1.8 miles; Miller State Park, 1.3 miles; Joanne Bass Bross Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Temple is conserved land?
23% 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 Temple’s trails?
Temple Mountain State Reservation and Heald Tract don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Temple?
22,150 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Temple or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,398 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Temple have?
Ahead of 87% 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 Temple 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 →