Heald Tract
Managed by Society for the Protection of NH Forests
1,229 acres7.1 mi of trail
Castor Pond Loop TrailCamp TrailHeald Pond TrailFisk Hill - Spring Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Ken Gallager at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wilton
24% of Wilton’s land is conserved: 4,004 acres
528 acres are parks and preserves, 133 per 1,000 residents. 21 miles of mapped trail cross Wilton, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Heald Tract (7.1 mi), Sheldrick Forest Preserve (2.9 mi), Russell-Abbott State Forest (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #51 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
4,004 acres · of 25.6 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
528 ac
133 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
919 ft
Abbot Hill
Lakes & rivers
10
What kind of outdoors town is Wilton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild24% of the land is conserved; a typical New Hampshire town, 19%.Room to roam133 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 76% of U.S. towns.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilton is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #51 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 Wilton’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 (21 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land133 acres of park per 1,000 residents (528 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home36% 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 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 60%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Wilton’s 24% is ahead of 74% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 14% 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 Heald Tract, with 7.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sheldrick Forest Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
228 acres2.9 mi of trail
Charles Davisson TrailMargaret's MeanderHelen's PathCamp Trail+1
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Russell-Abbott State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
463 acres1.8 mi of trail
Greenville Recreational Rail Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Frog Pond Conservation Land
Nature preserve
26 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wilton Town Forest
Managed by Town of Wilton
52 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Whiting Park
Park
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
Heald Tract1,229 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Sheldrick Forest Preserve228 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsRussell-Abbott State Forest463 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Frog Pond Conservation Land26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWilton Town Forest52 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Wilton
Whiting Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Von Felsinger Forest120 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Stephens Forest127 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Marjory Moors Memorial Forest77 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Jonathan Woods60 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Sand Hill Road Reservoir49 acres · Town of Wilton
Wilton Forest48 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Everett Forest42 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Carnival Hill Recreation Area35 acres · Town of Wilton
DirectionsScott Memorial Forest27 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Wilton Conservation Land21 acres · Wilton Conservation Commission
Goss Park19 acres · Town of Wilton
Scott - Moors Memorial Forest17 acres · New England Forestry Foundation
Mitchell Brook Conservation Land1 acres · Mason Conservation Commission
Falcon Ridge Open Space1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
4,004 conserved acres
24% of Wilton’s land. Who manages Wilton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,315 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)421 ac
Other state land406 ac
Town or city232 ac
State natural resources206 ac
Joint137 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land18 ac
Private Conservation · 2,008 acConservation Easement · 1,469 acState Resource Management Area · 455 acOther Easement · 333 acAgricultural Easement · 327 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 965 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 85 of 115 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heald Tracts Private Conservation | Not recorded | 612 | Unknown |
| Russell-Abbott State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 455 | Unknown |
| Heald Jr Rev Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 351 | Open |
| Sheldrick Forest Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 230 | Unknown |
| Souhegan River Watershed Site #33 State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 130 | Open |
| Stephens Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 128 | Unknown |
| Heald Tracts - Russell Hill Road Private Conservation | Not recorded | 126 | Unknown |
| Von Felsinger Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 113 | Unknown |
| Town of Wilton Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 80 | Unknown |
| Marjory Moors Memorial Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 77 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Wilton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wilton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Wilton
3 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Wilton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wilton
Abbot Hill919 ft elevation
DirectionsPead Hill909 ft elevation
DirectionsWhiting Hill817 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.0 mi
Camp Trail2.0 mi
Castor Pond Loop Trail1.4 mi
Greenville Recreational Rail Trail0.9 mi
Charles Davisson Trail0.8 mi
Heald Pond Trail0.8 mi
Fisk Hill - Spring Trail0.7 mi
Camp Loop Trail0.7 mi
Margaret's Meander0.7 mi
MacGregor Trail0.5 mi
Helen's Path0.4 mi
3 more trails
Fisk Hill - Spring Trai
0.4 miLaurel Ridge Trail
0.2 miLower Fisk Hill Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Greenville Recreational Rail TrailBike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
3Baseball
1Football
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
County Farm BridgeStructure · listed 1981
About itWilton Public and Gregg Free LibraryBuilding · listed 1982
About itOliver Whiting HomesteadBuilding · listed 1982
About itDaniel Cragin MillBuilding · listed 1982
About itStonyfield FarmBuilding · listed 1983
About itHamblet-Putnam-Frye HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itWilton Town HallBuilding · listed 2009
About itFirst Unitarian Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Wilton: 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) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Wilton →
Next door
Wilton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilton | 24% | 0.8 | 133 | 36% | A− |
| Lyndeborough | 21% | 1.5 | 131 | 13% | A− |
| Milford | 17% | 1.9 | 47 | 78% | A |
| Temple | 23% | 1.4 | 880 | 19% | A |
| Mason | 19% | 1.1 | 73 | 33% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wilton
Where can I hike in Wilton?
The longest trail networks: Heald Tract, 7.1 miles; Sheldrick Forest Preserve, 2.9 miles; Russell-Abbott State Forest, 1.8 miles; Frog Pond Conservation Land, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilton 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 Wilton’s trails?
Heald Tract and Sheldrick Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wilton?
25,150 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 665 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wilton have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Wilton 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 →