Share 43.29° N · 74.37° W – Not graded Outdoors in Benson
More than half of Benson’s land is conserved: 91% 91% of Benson’s land is conserved, about 48,057 acres. The biggest trail networks: Silver Lake Wilderness (27.3 mi), Shaker Mountain Wild Forest (5.1 mi). 7,107 acres are parks and preserves, 26,225 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
91%
48,057 acres · of 82.6 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,107 ac
26,225 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,920 ft
Three Ponds Mountain
The map Conserved land, trails & bike routes Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
West Stoney Creek Falls Unnamed waterfall in Silver Lake Wilderness View West View south Unnamed scenic view in Shaker Mountain Wild Forest Unnamed scenic view in Silver Lake Wilderness Three Ponds Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain Blue Ridge Mountain Moose Mountain Silver Lake Mountain Wallace Mountain Cathead Mountain Vly Mountain Rock Lake Mountain White Lake Mountain Four Staves Little Cathead Mountain Little Roundtop Mountain King Vly Mountain Groff Mountain Little Popple Big Popple Third Popple Jacksons Seat Abner Brook Campsite Canary Pond tentsite Rock Lake tentsite Silver Lake tentsite West Stony Creek campsite #1 West Stony Creek campsite #2 Woods Lake Campsite #1 Woods Lake Campsite #2 Unnamed campground in Silver Lake Wilderness Unnamed campground in Silver Lake Wilderness 1 2 3 Show all of Benson Places to walk Pick a walk The longest trail network is Silver Lake Wilderness, with 27.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 3 3+ mi 2 100+ acres 3
1 Silver Lake Wilderness Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
40,987 acres27.3 mi of trail
Northville-Placid Trail Lapland to N-P trail Groff Creek trail Godfrey Road Spur Trail +1
2 Shaker Mountain Wild Forest Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
6,880 acres5.1 mi of trail
Northville-Placid Trail
3 Cathead Mountain Primitive Area Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
172 acres
Who protects it 48,057 conserved acres 91% of Benson’s land. Who manages Benson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation 48,122 ac
State Wilderness · 40,999 ac State Conservation Area · 7,059 ac State Resource Management Area · 64 ac
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US) Managed by Acres Public access Silver Lake WildernessState Wilderness
State conservation 40,999 Open Shaker Mountain Wild ForestState Conservation Area
State conservation 6,886 Open Cathead Mountain Primitive AreaState Conservation Area
State conservation 172 Open Finch PruynState Resource Management Area
State conservation 64 Open
Things to do 35 places to go in Benson Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 Waterfalls 4 Scenic views 19 Peaks 10 Campgrounds
Waterfalls in Benson Show all on map
West Stoney Creek Falls In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Benson Show all on map
Plus 2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Benson Show all on map
Three Ponds Mountain 2,920 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Sugarloaf Mountain 2,867 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Blue Ridge Mountain 2,841 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Moose Mountain 2,779 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Silver Lake Mountain 2,717 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Wallace Mountain 2,717 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Vly Mountain 2,418 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions 11 more peaks Rock Lake Mountain 2,290 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions White Lake Mountain 2,287 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Four Staves 2,283 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Little Cathead Mountain 2,093 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Little Roundtop Mountain 1,952 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions King Vly Mountain 1,781 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Groff Mountain 1,772 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Little Popple 1,644 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Big Popple 1,617 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Third Popple 1,519 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Jacksons Seat 1,385 ft elevation · In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Campgrounds in Benson Show all on map
Abner Brook Campsite In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions Canary Pond tentsite In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions Rock Lake tentsite In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions Silver Lake tentsite In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions West Stony Creek campsite #1 In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions West Stony Creek campsite #2 In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions Woods Lake Campsite #1 In Silver Lake Wilderness
Map Directions Woods Lake Campsite #2 In Silver Lake Wilderness · NYSDEC
Map Directions Plus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers Named trails
Unpaved · 29.8 mi
Northville-Placid Trail 22.5 mi
Godfrey Road Spur Trail 1.2 mi
Lapland to N-P trail 1.0 mi
Groff Creek trail 0.8 mi
COUNTY LINE LAKE TRAIL 0.7 mi
Woods Lake Trail 0.3 mi
Northville-Placid Trail Spur To Rock Lake 0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out The best walking months in Benson: May to September NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Daylight (h) 9.3 10.4 11.8 13.4 14.7 15.4 15.1 13.9 12.4 10.9 9.6 9.0 High (°F) 28 31 39 53 65 73 78 76 69 56 44 33 Rain (in) 4.0 3.2 3.8 4.3 4.3 4.9 4.4 4.4 4.0 4.8 3.9 4.2
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Benson →
Next door Benson and its neighbors Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Town Conservedof land Trail miper sq mi Park acresper 1,000 Near a park½ mile Outdoors Benson — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Hope — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Bleecker — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Mayfield 30% 0.7 1,557 9% A− Wells — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Northampton 4% 0.2 214 56% B
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benson Where can I hike in Benson? The longest trail networks: Silver Lake Wilderness, 27.3 miles; Shaker Mountain Wild Forest, 5.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Benson’s trails? Silver Lake Wilderness and Shaker Mountain Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Benson? 293,007 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48,355 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Benson neighbors.
Town Square → Share a tip
Trail muddy, icy or closed? Give neighbors a heads-up → Where do you park for Silver Lake Wilderness? → Are dogs allowed at Silver Lake Wilderness? → What’s your favorite walk in Benson? → Sources
Where this page comes from Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors , ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →