Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir
Managed by NH Department of Resources & Economic Development
1,045 acres6 mi of trail
Chair Factory Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Webster
24% of Webster’s land is conserved: 4,317 acres
312 acres are parks and preserves, 140 per 1,000 residents. 23 miles of mapped trail cross Webster, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir (6 mi), Pillsbury Lake Hunting Preserve (1 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
4,317 acres · of 28.2 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
312 ac
140 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
830 ft
Corser Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Webster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Webster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Webster is ahead of 83% 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 Webster’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land140 acres of park per 1,000 residents (312 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home30% 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 83%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Webster’s 24% is ahead of 73% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 13% 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 Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir, with 6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pillsbury Lake Hunting Preserve
Managed by Town of Webster/Pillsbury Lake Asso
322 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Leonard Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
963 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Shea Reservation
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
170 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir1,045 acres · 6 mi of trail · NH Department of Resources & Economic Development
Pillsbury Lake Hunting Preserve322 acres · 1 mi of trail · Town of Webster/Pillsbury Lake Asso
Kimball Wildlife Management Area15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
Leonard Wildlife Management Area963 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · NH Fish & Game
William Pearson Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Webster
DirectionsShea Reservation170 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Knights Meadow Marsh Wildlife Management Area99 acres · NH Fish & Game
Prince Pasture83 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Paul P. Mock Memorial Forest58 acres · Town of Webster
DirectionsRiverdale Sanctuary50 acres · Town of Webster
Woodman Forest17 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Who protects it
4,317 conserved acres
24% of Webster’s land. Who manages Webster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,901 ac
State natural resources1,051 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government428 ac
Town or city375 ac
Joint230 ac
Other state land112 ac
Not recorded1,684 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,955 acState Conservation Area · 1,091 acFederal Other or Unknown · 1,051 acUnknown Easement · 576 acOther Easement · 402 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,469 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 45 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir Federal Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 1,051 | Unknown |
| Leonard Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 846 | Unknown |
| Pillsbury Lake District - Hunting Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 291 | Unknown |
| Schoodac Brook - Youngs 2 State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 136 | Unknown |
| Shea Reservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 122 | Unknown |
| Knights Meadow Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Prince Pasture Private Conservation | Not recorded | 88 | Unknown |
| Paul Mock Memorial Forest Local Resource Management Area | Other state land | 59 | Unknown |
| deRham Addition Private Conservation | Not recorded | 55 | Unknown |
| Riverdale Sanctuary Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 53 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Webster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Webster
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Webster
Corser Hill830 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Hill807 ft elevation
DirectionsLittles Hill797 ft elevation
DirectionsPutney Hill732 ft elevation
DirectionsOx Pond Hill663 ft elevation
DirectionsChase Hill633 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.1 miUnpaved · 13.9 mi
Chair Factory Trail1.0 mi
The Cut0.4 mi
Winter only0.3 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
1Basketball
1Soccer
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Webster: 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 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Webster →
Next door
Webster and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Webster
Where can I hike in Webster?
The longest trail networks: Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir, 6 miles; Pillsbury Lake Hunting Preserve, 1 miles; Leonard Wildlife Management Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Webster is conserved land?
24% 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 Webster’s trails?
Blackwater Flood Control Reservoir and Pillsbury Lake Hunting Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Webster?
8,306 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Webster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 312 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Webster have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Webster 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 →