1
Joe English Reservation
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
582 acres11.6 mi of trail
Highland TrailHammond Brook TrailBacon TrailHarding LoopRocky
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo PMEC Parking
Outdoors · Amherst
Amherst, NH parks, trails & bike paths
About 16% of Amherst is conserved land, roughly 3,416 acres. There are about 53 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Joe English Reservation (11.6 mi), Pond Parish Reservation (5.2 mi), and Betty Arnold Forest (4.6 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Amherst, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Amherst outdoors
Conserved land
16%
3,416 of 21,887 acres
Trails
53 mi
1.6 mi per sq mi · 33 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
37
288 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.0 mi lanes · 0.4 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number or a place below to zoom in© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
2
Pond Parish Reservation
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
210 acres5.2 mi of trail
OtterMinkFisherWeaselErmine
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
3
Betty Arnold Forest
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
244 acres4.6 mi of trail
Lorden PathBicentennial TrailB-H TrailCricket Crossing TrailArnold Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Haseltine Parking Area
4
Haseltine Community Preserve
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
123 acres4.5 mi of trail
Frodo's RingStriderThe ShireGandalfLegolas
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Haseltine Parking Area
5
Sky Meadow
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
86 acres2.2 mi of trail
JabberwockyBicentennial TrailHumpty Dumpty TrailHumpty DumptyI Scream Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
6
Pond Parish Town Forest
Managed by Town of Amherst
174 acres1.8 mi of trail
Pond Parish TrailPond Parish Loop TrailBeaver Dam Overlook TrailObservation Deck Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
7
Patch Hill Conservation Area
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
136 acres1.7 mi of trail
Old Skid Road TrailPatch Hill TrailHarold Wilkins Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Patch Hill Trail Parking Lot
8
Converse Woods
Managed by Amherst Conservation Commission
29 acres1.3 mi of trail
Quarry TrailWhite TailSnowy Owl TrailLedges Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
All 37 parks & preserves
- Pulpit Brook Conservation Land199 ac · 1 mi trail · Directions
- Joppa Hill Conservation Area133 ac · 1 mi trail · Directions
- CamaID: 006-121-00123 ac · 0.9 mi trail
- Dacquino Forest67 ac · 0.7 mi trail · Directions
- Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary76 ac · 0.6 mi trail · Directions
- Oxbow Conservation Area17 ac · 0.5 mi trail
- Town Open Space25 ac · 0.4 mi trail · Directions
- Great Meadow71 ac · 0.1 mi trail
- Buck Meadow Conservation & Recreation Area63 ac · 0.1 mi trail
- Lindabury Orchard45 ac · 0.1 mi trail
- Bragdon Farm58 ac · Directions
- Post Road Forest48 ac
- Scott Land43 ac · Directions
- Curtis Well42 ac · Directions
- Caesar's Brook Reservation40 ac · Directions
- Cemetery Field33 ac
- Birch Park22 ac
- Minot Ross Bird Sanctuary22 ac
- Bragdon Farm Sledding Hill18 ac · Directions
- Bertha Rogers Estate18 ac
- Hodgman State Forest16 ac
- Pulpit Rock Conservation Area5 ac
- Joshua's Park4 ac · Directions
- Amherst Town Green2 ac · Directions
- Beaver Brook Park2 ac
- Spaulding Common Park1 ac · Directions
- Huntington Common1 ac · Directions
- School St Park1 ac · Directions
- Buchanan Park1 ac · Directions
Who protects the land
3,416 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 439 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 89 of 118 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes0.0 mi
- Off-road bike paths0.4 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes0.0 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis15
- Baseball7
- Basketball1
- Softball1
- Football1
- Soccer1
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Next door
Amherst and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 15.6% | 53.2 mi | 37 |
| Milford | 17.5% | 48.7 mi | 28 |
| Mont Vernon | 19.2% | 20.9 mi | 12 |
| Merrimack | 19.2% | 57.3 mi | 21 |
| Bedford | 9.2% | 28.2 mi | 31 |
| Hollis | 27.4% | 93.5 mi | 26 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Amherst's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 23.9-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.