1
Henderson-Swasey Town Forest
Managed by Town of Exeter
249 acres7.9 mi of trail
Green LoopWestern front (Blue Blaze)Gas LineIPA ConnectorUpeaster
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Trestle Parking Lot
Outdoors · Exeter
Exeter, NH parks, trails & bike paths
About 32% of Exeter is conserved land, roughly 4,005 acres. There are about 61 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Henderson-Swasey Town Forest (7.9 mi), Oaklands Town Forest (5.6 mi), and Piscassic River WMA (1.7 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Exeter, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Exeter outdoors
Conserved land
32%
4,005 of 12,697 acres
Trails
61 mi
3.1 mi per sq mi · 31 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
18
248 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
3.5 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 0.0 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
Oaklands Town Forest
Managed by Exeter Conservation Commission
228 acres5.6 mi of trail
Demoralizer (Hillzilla)BLT SouthMiddle EarthHamberger Hill50/50
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Oaklands Newfields Road Parking Lot
3
Piscassic River Wildlife Management Area
Managed by NH Fish & Game
576 acres1.7 mi of trail
BC Connector
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the trailhead
4
Little River Conservation Area
Managed by Exeter Conservation Commission
400 acres1.7 mi of trail
Little River Trail WestLittle River Trail East
Dogs allowedMapped in OpenStreetMap
DirectionsTo the parking lot
5
Morrissette Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Exeter
37 acres1.3 mi of trail
Orchard Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
DirectionsTo the trailhead
6
Raynes Farm
Managed by Exeter Conservation Commission
41 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
7
McDonnell Conservation Area
Managed by Exeter Conservation Commission
46 acres0.5 mi of trail
McDonnell Conservation Area Trail
No dogsMapped in OpenStreetMap
DirectionsTo the trailhead
8
Kimball Reserve
Managed by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Blue TrailPennell Path
Dog rules not recorded
All 18 parks & preserves
- Gilman Park13 ac · 0.4 mi trail · Directions
- Exeter Recreation Complex22 ac · 0.2 mi trail · Directions
- Brickyard Park13 ac · 0.1 mi trail · Directions
- Swasey Parkway9 ac · 0.1 mi trail · Directions
- Gooch Park1 ac · 0.1 mi trail · Directions
- Connor Farm Wildlife Mangagement Area218 ac · Directions
- Smith-Page Conservation Area56 ac
- Park Street Common2 ac · Directions
- Town House Common1 ac · Directions
- Exeter Gas Works1 ac · Directions
Who protects the land
4,005 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 1,535 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 84 of 122 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes1.6 mi
- Off-road bike paths0.0 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes1.9 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis34
- Baseball10
- Soccer9
- Basketball7
- Softball6
- Multi-sport5
- Football4
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Next door
Exeter and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter | 31.5% | 61.4 mi | 18 |
| Stratham | 19.5% | 17.9 mi | 6 |
| Brentwood | 29.6% | 14.1 mi | 10 |
| Newfields | 27.1% | 18.3 mi | 6 |
| Kingston | 19.5% | 24.8 mi | 18 |
| East Kingston | 16.9% | 5.1 mi | 2 |
| Kensington | 28.3% | 13.6 mi | 7 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Exeter'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 20-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.