Taylor Pond Wild Forest
Nature preserve
18,048 acres25.9 mi of trail
Catamount Mountain TrailMud Pond TrailSilver Lake Mountain TrailCliff Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Palmer Brook Bridge · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Black Brook
Black Brook has 23,644 acres of parks, 17,980 for every 1,000 residents
48% of Black Brook’s land is conserved, about 40,106 acres. 174 miles of mapped trail cross Black Brook, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Taylor Pond Wild Forest (25.9 mi), Wilmington Wild Forest (2 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
48%
40,106 acres · of 130.2 sq mi of land
Trails
174 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
23,644 ac
17,980 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,173 ft
Catamount Mountain
Lakes & rivers
14
4 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Black Brook?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Black Brook have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Black Brook is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Black Brook’s overall grade.
Conserved land48% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (174 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land17,980 acres of park per 1,000 residents (23,644 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home53% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Taylor Pond Wild Forest, with 25.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wilmington Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
4,582 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Chazy Highlands Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
315 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Terry Mountain State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
40,106 conserved acres
48% of Black Brook’s land. Who manages Black Brook’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation56,125 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits671 ac
Town or city5 ac
Regional Water Districts4 ac
State Conservation Area · 23,177 acUnknown Easement · 16,408 acForest Stewardship Easement · 16,394 acPrivate Conservation · 671 acState Recreation Area · 147 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16,439 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Pond Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 18,095 | Open |
| Wilmington Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 4,596 | Open |
| Clintonville Pine Barrens Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 385 | Open |
| Chazy Highlands Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 317 | Open |
| Silver Lake Bog Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 209 | Open |
| Taylor Pond Campground State Recreation Area | State conservation | 147 | Open |
| Union Falls Pond State Conservation Area | State conservation | 145 | Restricted |
| Adirondacks Transfer Tracts Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Closed |
| Adirondack Mountains - Saranac River Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Closed |
| Terry Mountain State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 23 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
52 places to go in Black Brook
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Black Brook
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Black Brook
Taylor Pond Boat LaunchIn Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Black Brook
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Black Brook
Catamount Mountain3,173 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsSilver Lake Mountain2,372 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsTolman Mountain2,369 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsLarry Ryan Mountain2,162 ft elevation
DirectionsDouglas Mountain2,123 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsEllis Mountain2,090 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsThird Burnt Hill2,051 ft elevation
DirectionsCranberry Mountain2,021 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
Directions22 more peaks
North Pole2,005 ft elevation
DirectionsNancy Ryan Mountain1,985 ft elevation
DirectionsPelkey Mountan1,982 ft elevation
DirectionsSecond Burnt Hill1,946 ft elevation
DirectionsFirst Burnt Hill1,916 ft elevation
DirectionsSignal Peak1,906 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsBear Mountain1,877 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsCarmel Mountain1,847 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Mountain1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsSheep Mountain1,801 ft elevation
DirectionsHogback Mountain1,785 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Potter Mountain1,716 ft elevation
DirectionsWhippoorwill Mountain1,713 ft elevation
DirectionsFern Lake Mountain1,686 ft elevation
DirectionsGilpin Hill1,663 ft elevation
DirectionsSlush Pond Mountain1,660 ft elevation
DirectionsCrossway Mountain1,657 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Pelkey Mountain1,647 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Ellis Mountain1,627 ft elevation · In Taylor Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsColumbe Mountain1,568 ft elevation
DirectionsBurnt Spot Hill1,552 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Hill1,512 ft elevation
Directions45 peaks are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Campgrounds in Black Brook
Taylor Pond CampgroundHours: May 19-Sep 4 · Fee · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 102.5 miHorses · 2.7 miUnpaved · 135.4 mi
Nancy Ryan Mountain Trail3.4 mi
Catamount Mountain Trail1.9 mi
Mud Pond Trail1.7 mi
summit cliff trail1.1 mi
Silver Lake Mountain Trail0.8 mi
Clintonville Pine Barrens Trail0.8 mi
Approach Potter Mtn Cliff0.8 mi
Sheep Head Mountain Trail0.8 mi
Cliff Ridge Trail0.8 mi
Corridor 80.7 mi
5 more trails
approach Center Of Progress Cliff (Proposed)
0.7 miCorridor 8 new
0.6 miapproach Center Of Progress Cliff
0.4 miApproach Outback Slab
0.3 miSummit Cliff Approach Right
0.1 miHistory along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Palmer Brook BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Black Brook: May, August and 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 28 | 37 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 54 | 41 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Black Brook →
Next door
Black Brook and its neighbors
Black Brook has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Black Brook174 miPeru95 miFranklin83 miSaranac79 miWilmington63 miJay49 miAu Sable25 miAu Sable Forks2.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Brook | 48% | 1.3 | 17,980 | 53% | A |
| Jay | 22% | 0.7 | 1,095 | 40% | A |
| Au Sable Forks | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Saranac | 34% | 0.7 | 4,440 | 31% | A |
| Franklin | 73% | 0.5 | 33,839 | 87% | A+ |
| Peru | 16% | 1.2 | 1,041 | 39% | A |
| Wilmington | 63% | 1.0 | 11,340 | 62% | A |
| Au Sable | 4% | 0.6 | 8 | 26% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Black Brook
Where can I hike in Black Brook?
The longest trail networks: Taylor Pond Wild Forest, 25.9 miles; Wilmington Wild Forest, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Black Brook is conserved land?
48% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Black Brook’s trails?
Taylor Pond Wild Forest and Wilmington Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Black Brook?
170,187 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Black Brook or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 23,644 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Black Brook have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Black Brook neighbors.
Share a tip
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 →