Explore some of the best outdoor spaces in the Granite State!
Our forests are special places to enjoy a wide range of low-impact outdoor activities. We have protected nearly 60,000 acres across more than 195 properties including some of New Hampshire’s most magnificent mountains, rivers, lakes, woodlands, fields, hills, historic sites, coastal access, and more. Thousands of donors and supporters have made the difference to keep these exceptional places free for all to enjoy, and we welcome you to discover all our forests have to offer.
If you are seeking some solitude on a quiet woodland walk or want to really stretch your legs over steep mountainside trails, we've got a place for you. If you want to gather a few wild blueberries or explore an old farm site with stonewalls and foundations, orchards and fields, we've got a place for you. Are you a wildlife enthusiast? We have excellent habitat for animal tracking, birdwatching, hunting, and fishing. Are you a paddler? We’ve got miles of shoreline for you to explore with your canoe or kayak. Need to beat the winter blues? Many of our trails are perfect places for winter hiking and snowshoeing. Need a place to walk your dog? We’ve got places for that too. With many more opportunities, over 400 miles of trails, and many more places to enjoy in nearly 100 towns, take our word for it, we’ve got a place for you!
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Online Visitor Guide: To get you started on your travels through the Forest Society's properties, visit our interactive Visitor Guide map. We encourage you to plan ahead before visiting somewhere new.
- Featured properties (highlighted in blue) include maintained trails, parking facilities, and may also have onsite information (kiosk).
- Non-featured properties (highlighted in grey) provide fewer amenities and may be more difficult to access due to a lack of developed recreation features and resources such as signage, parking, established trails, and a detailed Forest Reservation Guide map.
- Customize your property search by region, trail difficulty, and recreational activity.
- All of our properties are open to the public. Entrance fees are only required at our Monadnock Reservation and Lost River Gorge.
OuterSpatial: NEW! Access information about our forests and trails from your mobile device. Includes offline trail maps, real-time navigation, and interpretive experiences— even without a cell phone signal. Download OuterSpatial for free to your iPhone or Android device.
RESPONSIBLE RECREATION:
Visitor Use Guidelines: Help us care for our forest reservations by following our guidelines during your visit.
Leave No Trace: Help minimize your footprint on our reservations by following the “7 Principles” of LNT.
HikeSafe: Practice personal responsibility by following HikeSafe principles.
Recreate Responsibly to help care for yourself, others, and our forest reservations.
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
5 Hikes Challenge: Participate in our annual self-paced hiking adventure. Aug-Oct.
Forest Reservation Challenge: Earn your patch by hiking all 33 of our featured reservations OR visit a subset by region and respond to our “what did you see” discovery questions.
WINTER RECREATION
Cold is Cool: Check here for winter recreation tips, list of plowed trailheads, and other seasonal updates.
ONLINE MEDIA
Recreation Blog: Explore up-to-date stories related to visiting our lands.
Social Media: Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates, photos, and videos.
SUPPORT THE FOREST SOCIETY
Membership: Becoming an annual Forest Society member to support our mission!
Give Back to the Trails You Love: Many of our property properties have signage where you can directly donate to the Forest Society at our trailheads via PayPal or donate to the stewardship fund through our website. A $5/visit suggested contribution helps us care for our properties for all to enjoy.
OUR “TOP 7” FOREST RESERVATIONS BY REGION:
Still wondering where to start? Check out our top sites in each region of the state!
Great North Woods
- Kauffman Forest (Stark, NH)
White Mountains Region
- The Rocks (Bethlehem, NH)
Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee
- Hay Reservation (Newbury, NH)
Lakes Region:
- Mt. Major (Alton, NH)
Monadnock Region
- Mount Monadnock (Jaffrey/Dublin/Marlborough, NH)
Merrimack Valley Region
- Merrimack River Outdoor Education & Conservation Area (Concord, NH)
Seacoast Region
- Creek Farm (Portsmouth, NH)
We wish you a safe and enjoyable visit!