Visit & Explore

We invite you to get outside and explore our mission in action! Visit our program centers in Concord, Bethlehem, and Portsmouth for educational opportunities and events. 

You are welcome at nearly 200 forests protected by the Forest Society across New Hampshire, many of which have marked trails and numerous recreational uses. View our Visitor Guide.

Visitors can also access information and maps about land and trails easily from their mobile devices. Using the OuterSpatial platform, the Forest Society's mobile app is free for iPhone and Android devices.

Learn more about our 10 most popular conservation areas below, in addition to our main program centers: Gap Mountain, Grafton Pond, Hay Forest, Lost River Gorge, Madame Sherri Forest, Monson Center, Moose Mountains, Morse Preserve, Mount Major, and Mount Monadnock.

Autumn panorama from The Rocks.

Forest Society North at The Rocks

Visit the Forest Society's working tree farm to harvest-your-own Christmas Tree in the winter and for sugar season in the spring, when the maple sap is boiling in our sugarhouse. Year-round, you can walk the peaceful trails and learn about the natural world at an educational program.

A view of the water from Creek Farm.

Creek Farm

Once part of the 18th-century farm of royal Gov. Benning Wentworth, this coastal hideaway borders the shoreline of Sagamore Creek in Portsmouth. The Education Center hosts programs presented by the Forest Society and summer camps run by the Gundalow Company.

Four trees stand in the sunlight on a Forest Society conservation easement. (Photo: Jerry Monkman)

Visitor Guide

You can browse our properties using the map, or scroll down to filter by region or recreational activity. Featured reservations typically have parking areas, mapped trails, and more detailed information. All of our forests are open to the public. 

Visitor Use Guidelines

We hope you enjoy your visit to the many properties conserved and managed by the Forest Society. Help us care for our properties by following these guidelines during your visit. Thank you!

Gap Mountain reservation in Jaffrey, New Hampshire

Gap Mountain

The key attractions at Gap are the stunning vista of Mt. Monadnock looming just to the north and the summer high- and low-bush blueberry crops ringing the open ledges of the north summit.

Grafton Pond

Grafton Pond is a 300-acre lake with an almost entirely undeveloped shoreline.  There are numerous bays and uninhabited islands to explore, offering excellent swimming, fishing, and wildlife-watching opportunities. 

Hay Forest

Hay Forest, next door to the John Hay Estate at The Fells in Newbury, offers nearly four miles of hiking along interior roads and trails that wind through the forests growing back on former hay fields, sheep pastures, and orchards. Sunset Hill offers sweeping views of Lake Sunapee.

Lost River Gorge

With its rough boardwalks and lantern-lit caves, Lost River Gorge attracts thousands of people each year who admire the beauty of the area and take on the challenge of the tight ins and outs of the majestic boulder caves.

Madame Sherri staircase ruins with barrier chains

Madame Sherri Forest

Madame Sherri Forest is named after a former owner, Madame Antoinette Sherri, a Paris-born theatrical costume designer who worked in New York during the early 1900s. The forest is situated on the eastern slope of Wantastiquet Mountain, also known as Rattlesnake Mountain.

A new bench overlooks the Merrimack River at our Outdoor Education & Conservation Area in Concord.

Merrimack River Conservation Area

A walk down the Les Clark Nature Trail on the floodplain will take you past a pine forest, a wooded swamp and beaver-influenced wetlands, a maple-oak-hickory terrace community, and a native silver maple floodplain forest.

Monson Center

Monson Center is considered by leading archeologists to be one of the most significant archeological sites in New England. Visiting Monson Center, a historic gem, is literally a breath of fresh air, and a step back in time.

A hiker and dog on the summit of Pheobe's Nable Mountain at Moose Mountains Reservation

Moose Mountains

There are more than eight miles of trails to explore at the Moose Mountains Reservation. These trails are a combination of foot paths, woods roads, and snowmobile trails. Visitors will be greeted by amazing views from Beauty Ledge off the North Trail.

Morse Preserve

A network of trails at Evelyn H. & Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve starts from Avery Hill Road, including a 1.7 mile marked loop trail. Open blueberry barrens at the summit of Pine Mountain provide spectacular views of the entire Belknap Range, including Mount Major and Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as excellent berry picking in season.

Mount Major

Welcome to the Mount Major trail network, which leads to the summit of Mt. Major and other hiking destinations in the Belknap range. The summit of Mt. Major (1,786 ft) offers views that are among the best in southern New Hampshire for the effort required.

Mount Monadnock

In 1915, the Forest Society conserved its first tract of 406 acres on Mount Monadnock, beginning a long-term effort to protect the natural integrity of the mountain and its surroundings. The Forest Society leases land to the State to be operated as Monadnock State Park.