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Places We Protect

Ossipee Pine Barrens

New Hampshire

An aerial view of a controlled burn.
Restoration From Above Specially trained wildland firefighters manage a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC

Explore one of New Hampshire's most endangered ecosystems from a universally accessible trail.

Overview

Description

The Ossipee Pine Barrens are a magical place boasting New Hampshire’s last intact pitch pine–scrub oak woodland natural community, a globally rare forest type. Here in this fire-dependent ecosystem, you’ll find a diversity of uncommon wildlife, including nearly two dozen threatened and endangered moths and butterflies and several declining bird species like whip-poor-will, common nighthawk and Eastern towhee. Beneath your feet, the forest serves as a natural filter for one of the Granite State’s largest “stratified-drift” aquifers, ensuring a constant and clean water source for the area’s families and businesses.

This place was shaped more than ten thousand years ago when retreating ice age glaciers left behind a broad, deep sandy outwash plain. Too dry and nutrient-poor to support agriculture or many of the more typical forests of northern New England, areas with these sandy-gravelly soil types became known as “barrens.” Despite the tough growing conditions, however, this area is hardly barren - a forest of pitch pine and scrub oak thrives here, rejuvenated over the eons by lightning and human-sparked fires. It’s a patchwork of pine woods and scrub oak: dense and tangled in some places, open and airy in others, with an inviting bed of blueberries and ferns near the ground.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Watch for partial preserve closures between August-October due to controlled burns.

Hours

Open dawn to dusk daily.

Wheelchair Accessible

The All Persons Trail at Ossipee Pine Barrens is suitable for wheelchairs, strollers and other assistive/adaptive devices. Please note that bicycles are prohibited. The use of Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices is limited to: Non-combustible engine, no wider than 36", weigh less than 500 lbs and doesn’t exceed walking speed. Restricted to trails and woods roads.

Highlights

Summer is prime time to visit the pine barrens when blueberries are plentiful and the songs of whip-poor-wills fill the nighttime air. Fall is beautiful as the scrub oaks and blueberry bushes in the understory turn a brilliant scarlet. You can also canoe or kayak on Cook’s River and Pond from the Town of Madison boat launch on Silver Lake. This preserve includes an accessible trail suitable for all abilities. Find it at the West Branch Trailhead.

Size

2,700 acres

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Photos from Ossipee Pine Barrens Preserve

Towering pitch pines, thickets of scrub oaks and bushes lush with blueberries line the trails of this magical preserve.

A group of hikers walk a path in a forest.
A closeup of a white and pink orchid.
Close up of green pine needles on a tree with thick bark.
A flat, gravel path in the woods.
A person in yellow fire gear holding a drip torch and looking at fire on the ground in the woods.
Purple wildflowers in a forest.
A black, red and white bird.
A bunch of blueberries growing on a bush.
A brown bird on a branch.
A red oak leaf.

Visit

    • Pitch pine–scrub oak barrens: Open, sandy forests with blueberries, wild lupine, and rare wildflowers.
    • Wildlife hotspots: Listen for whip-poor-wills and nighthawks at dusk; spot rare butterflies and moths in sunlit clearings.
    • Fire-shaped landscapes: See areas restored by prescribed burns—open canopy, lush understory, and thriving pollinator habitat.
    • Sandplain ponds and wetlands: Unique aquatic habitats supporting dragonflies, amphibians, and waterfowl.
  • Download the Ossipee Pine Barrens Trail Map

    7.5 miles of hiking trails in the preserve provide terrific opportunities to explore the Ossipee Pine Barrens Preserve. The 3/4-mile accessible trail is flat and graded to accommodate visitors of all abilities, including those using wheelchairs or pushing strollers. Access this trail from the parking area on Route 41. 

    The 1.3 mile Pine Barrens Loop begins at the preserve parking area along Route 41 in Madison and offers an easy excursion through classic pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, while the 3.2 mile West Branch Trail is a popular snowmobile trail that begins just across from the boat access on the south end of Silver Lake, follows the West Branch, and traverses through pitch pine and hardwood forests before ending at the Camp Calumet Conference Center.  

    A trail leading from the Camp Calument Center parking area up to Jackman Ridge offers excellent views of the pine barrens, the Ossipee Mountains, and Ossipee Lake. Trails off of Leadmine Road provide access to Cook’s Pond and Cook’s River along with an interesting sandy esker.  

    Trails are easy to moderately strenuous. Summer is prime time to visit the pine barrens when blueberries are plentiful and the songs of whip-poor-wills fill the nighttime air. Fall is beautiful as the scrub oaks and blueberry bushes in the understory turn a brilliant scarlet. You can also canoe or kayak on Cook’s River and Pond from the Town of Madison boat launch on Silver Lake.

    • Parking: Main lot off Route 41; additional roadside parking at trailheads.
    • Hours: Open dawn to dusk, year-round.
    • Hunting: Allowed in season—wear blaze orange in fall and check NH Fish & Game regulations.
    • Dogs: Permitted on leash; please clean up after pets.
    • Seasonal tips: Best birding at dawn/dusk; blueberries ripen mid-summer; ticks may be present—use repellent and check after hiking.
    • Fire management: You may see signs of recent burns or stewardship work—these are part of ongoing restoration.
  • To minimize disturbance of the wildlife and habitat of this nature preserve and to support the enjoyment of all visitors, please follow these guidelines:

    • Leave No Trace—please keep the preserve clean by carrying out your trash (and any that you find).
    • No camping or open fires allowed.
    • Keep pets leashed to avoid disturbance to birds, other wildlife and preserve visitors.
    • Hunting is allowed on portions of the preserve. Tree stands and blinds are prohibited. Please obey all posted signs and contact the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department for dates and regulations.
    • Respect the natural world around you! Do not remove or destroy plants, wildlife, minerals or cultural items.
    • Motorized vehicles (except snowmobiles along designated trails) and horses are prohibited. Wheelchairs are welcome on the All Persons Trail.
    • The use of Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices is limited to: Non-combustible engine, no wider than 36", weigh less than 500 lbs and doesn’t exceed walking speed. Restricted to trails and woods roads.
Access for All An accessible trail in the Ossipee Pine Barrens brings people of all abilities closer to nature. © Charles DeCurtis/TNC

Accessible Trail

The All Persons Trail at Ossipee Pine Barrens

Taking our first steps toward a more inclusive experience in nature for everyone, we opened an accessible trail in the Ossipee Pine Barrens in 2018—the first of its kind on a Conservancy preserve in New Hampshire. The three-quarter-mile trail begins at our Trailhead off of Route 41 in Madison, and meanders through the fire-dependent, globally rare, pitch pine-scrub oak woodlands before ending at an overlook of the West Branch River, complete with a view of Mount Whittier and the Ossipee Mountains. The graded, wide trail is constructed from hard-packed sand and gravel, making for easy travel by young, old, and everyone in between, including those using wheelchairs or pushing strollers.

This trail can be accessed from the parking area on Route 41. The All Persons Trail at the Ossipee Pine Barrens has been named one of Mount Washington Valley's Age Friendly Community initiative's “Walkable Trails.” Explore more Age Friendly Walkable Trails in the Mount Washington Valley.

A wildland firefighter in the woods with flames in the background.
All Aglow Northern New Hampshire Land Steward Mike Crawford lights a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC

Fire

Built to Burn, Restored by Community

The Ossipee Pine Barrens are one of the most fire-adapted landscapes in the Northeast—built to burn, and to thrive because of it. For thousands of years, lightning and Indigenous-set fires shaped these sandy forests, creating open, sunlit conditions that rare plants and animals depend on. This globally rare natural community—pitch pine–scrub oak woodland—occurs in only a few places in the world and is critically dependent on fire to persist. Without periodic burns, these ecosystems lose their distinctive structure and biodiversity, becoming dominated by less fire-tolerant species.

Fire suppression during much of the 20th century led to crowded canopies, declining wildlife, and increased wildfire risk. To reverse these trends, The Nature Conservancy works with partners to restore fire as a natural process. This effort begins with community engagement—meeting with local camps, fire departments, conservation commissions, and neighbors to build trust and understanding. Before any burn, TNC develops detailed management plans, creates fire protection buffers, and thins vegetation to ensure safety.

Prescribed fire is paired with science. Ecological research tracks how fire shapes the barrens, while fire science predicts how burns behave. Partnerships with universities help monitor rare species and develop custom fuel models. These actions maintain open-canopied habitats where pitch pine, scrub oak, blueberries, and rare moths and butterflies thrive. Birds like whip-poor-wills and common nighthawks, which are scarce elsewhere in New Hampshire, find critical breeding grounds here.

The benefits extend beyond biodiversity. Prescribed fire reduces wildfire risk and helps the forest resist threats like southern pine beetle. Ossipee’s story is part of a global movement—showing how fire, used thoughtfully and collaboratively, can heal forests and benefit communities.

We honor a legacy of stewardship and partnership—one that continues to shape this landscape for generations to come.

Good Fire
Good Fire Looking down on a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC
A burning Glow
A burning Glow The sun shines through the pitch pines during a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC
Good Fire Looking down on a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC
A burning Glow The sun shines through the pitch pines during a controlled burn in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Jeff Lougee/TNC

Bringing Fire Back

The Nature Conservancy has conducted controlled burns to restore health and diversity to natural lands for 60 years. But that's not the whole story.

A path in the woods with fall colors.
Fall in the Pine Barrens Scrub oak flames red and gold along the accessible trail in the Ossipee Pine Barrens. © Charles DeCurtis/TNC

History

A Landscape Shaped by Fire and Sand

About 15,000 years ago, the last continental glaciers melted away from the Northeast, leaving behind a landscape shaped by water and ice. Torrents from the melting glacier formed proglacial lakes, depositing fine sands and gravels across the lowlands between Ossipee and Silver lakes. Today, these sandy plains are home to the Ossipee Pine Barrens.

Pitch pine barrens thrive in the dry, acidic soils here, with evergreen needles and unique adaptations that allow them to withstand—and even flourish in—frequent fires. Alongside pitch pine, you’ll find scrub oak, black huckleberry, low-sweet blueberry, sweet fern, woodland sedge, and rare species like hairy hudsonia and slender-leaved goldenrod.

Historically, the barrens were used for timber, but more recent development has fragmented the landscape. Only about 2,000 acres of pitch pine–scrub oak barrens remain in the Ossipee region—the last viable occurrence of this forest community in New Hampshire. These lands also sit atop the Saco-Ossipee Aquifer, the state’s largest, providing clean drinking water for nearby towns.

Recognizing its importance for both people and nature, The Nature Conservancy has made the Ossipee Pine Barrens a conservation priority. Since 1988, TNC has protected more than 2,700 acres of critical habitat, including rare woodland, a quarter mile of undeveloped Ossipee Lake shoreline, much of Cook’s Pond, and a stream connecting it to Silver Lake. Today, the preserve offers opportunities for hiking, paddling, cross-country skiing, hunting, and snowmobiling.

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