Best Places to Fly
Your Drone in Manchester

With more than 100 acres of land and more than 20 miles of trails, finding an uncrowded spot to launch your drone in Musquash Conservation Area is not particularly hard. The forest here is very dense, so we recommend it for the more advanced drone pilots. The area is large enough to get lost in, so make sure to plan accordingly.

These cliffs act as a lookout for the nearby Massabesic Lake but is also a great wide clearing for a drone take-off. The cliffs are only a short hike from the nearby parking lot. Although the cliffs are the highlight of this area, there are also several other trails that you can explore.

This English Tudor castle is one of the most beautiful spots for photography in New Hampshire. The medieval and rustic castle nestled inside a forest is a very popular place for weddings and similar events. We advise launching your drone from the forest area to be able to catch all of the gorgeous scenery without disturbing the people in the castle.

NOTE: Prior permission from Castle staff is required.

The Nottingcook Forest is Bow, New Hampshire is accessible year-round if you want to go on fairly easy hikes. It has a wide network of trails, so you should be able to avoid crowds while flying a drone. Launching your drone from one of the more elevated sections is a great way to fly around a wide open space and take photos of the surrounding scenery.

The Hammond Nature Preserve has a good combination of dense forests, open fields, wide trails, narrow trails, and streams. It's a popular spot either for biking or camping. The open campground near the road access should be the best spot to launch a drone for casual flight practice or some excellent aerial photography.

This small, non-descript park is tucked away behind the Pine Grover Cemetery south of Manchester. While the park itself isn't exceptional, it does offer a great view of the Merrimack River. The place typically isn't crowded, making it a good spot for drone flight. Keep in mind that you will be flying near the No-Fly Zone of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, so don't venture too far to the north.

The Horse Hill Nature Preserve is the largest preserved open space in Merrimack. Launching a drone from the peaks of either the eponymous Horse Hill or Blodgett Hill should give the best vantage points of this massive outdoor space. The variations in terrain and patches of undisturbed open space make this a compelling venue for aerial exploration.