Open Spaces In The Nashua, NH Area
There are many open spaces in Nashua and its surrounding areas where one can enjoy hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities. The purpose of this web site is to be a guide to exploring your open spaces. Here you will find information on trails, trail heads, conservation lands as well as links to maps, directions, and additional details.
Some Of Our Favorite Sites
- J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, MA
This site has over 4 miles of easy walking trails with some nice walks along the Nashua River. The trails are unmarked but easy to follow. - Beaver Brook, Hollis, NH
Over 2000 acres of woodlands and wetlands with 30 miles of trails. The Beaver Brook Association provides children and adult environmental programs. Something for everyone. - Benson Park, Hudson, NH
This 168 acre park is the site of the former Benson's Wild Animal Farm. The park was opened to the public in 2010 and is a work in progress. It has picnic tables and about 3 miles of well marked trails. - Cedar Swamp Preserve, Manchester, NH
1.8 miles of trails through a rare ecosystem. See Atlantic white cedar, giant rhododendrons, and black gum trees. Trails are well marked but rough. No pets allowed. - Horse Hill Nature Preserve, Merrimack, NH
Miles of well marked trails through 563 acres of forests and wetlands.
Comments/suggestions/corrections/whatever, please email us at .
Open Space Guide
About The Map
Conservation Lands
The map display consists of three maps served by Google Maps; Satellite, Terrain, and a Street Map. In addition, conservation land information can be overlaid on top of each of these maps and will be shown as light green, semi-transparent areas. These areas were created using data download from New Hampshire and Massachusetts Geographic Information System (GIS) sites. Other, darker green, non-transparent areas, are a part of the Google map. The 'Conservation Overlay' button can be used to add the conservation land overlay. Note that the overlay does not show all of the open spaces available to the public but you may find it useful. Removing it allows for a clearer view of the map when in Satellite mode.For New Hampshire, the conservation data was provided by NH GRANIT though the NH Conservation/Public Lands Datalayer. Information about the data such as source and accuracy (known as metadata) can be found here.
For Massachusetts, the conservation data was provided by the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs though the Protected and Recreational Open Space Datalayer. Information about the data can be found here.
Mapped Trails
Some trails have also been overlaid onto the map and are shown as red lines. Please note that not all trails have been mapped. Trail data was collected using a Garmin GPS 60.About This Site
My wife and I like to get out for an afternoon walk and explore open spaces. When we first started walking together, we knew of only a few places in the Nashua area, and were frustrated at the difficulty of finding others. Over time we've discovered many more and decided to start this web site to share the information. This is an ongoing project. More trail sites, information, photos, and features will be added periodically.
Last updated: