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Essex New YorkPhoto: Robert Justin Close · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Outdoors in Essex

Few parks or trails are on the map in Essex

The biggest trail networks: Eddy (12.2 mi), Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center (3.9 mi), Essex Quarry Nature Preserve (1.2 mi). 24% of Essex’s land is conserved, about 4,800 acres. 505 acres are parks and preserves, 711 per 1,000 residents.

Conserved land
24%
4,800 acres · of 31.6 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
505 ac
711 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
33%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,201 ft
South Boquet Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 1 boat launch
The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

1234
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 Eddy, with 12.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Eddy

Managed by Eddy Foundation
1,386 acres12.2 mi of trail
Boquet Mountain TrailThe Eddy TrailBeaver Flow TrailWildway Overlook Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center

Managed by College Auxiliary Services (SUNY Plattsburgh)
313 acres3.9 mi of trail
Whipple Mtn Trail (Red)Twin Valleys Loop Trail (Red)Ferguson Mtn Trail (Yellow)Horsebeam Hill Trail (Yellow)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Essex Quarry Nature Preserve

Managed by Champlain Area Trails
32 acres1.2 mi of trail
Bluestone TrailGreen TrailRed TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest

Nature preserve
452 acres0.1 mi of trail
Essex overlook
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Eddy1,386 acres · 12.2 mi of trail · Eddy Foundation
Directions
Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center313 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · College Auxiliary Services (SUNY Plattsburgh)
Directions
Essex Quarry Nature Preserve32 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Champlain Area Trails
Directions
Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest452 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Boquet River Fishing Access1 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Who protects it

4,800 conserved acres

24% of Essex’s land. Water is left out: Essex has 31.6 square miles of land and 6.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Essex’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Land trusts & nonprofits4,756 ac
Joint1,296 ac
State conservation1,239 ac
County158 ac
Town or city11 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1 ac
Private Conservation · 2,900 acConservation Easement · 1,857 acAgricultural Easement · 1,297 acState Conservation Area · 457 acUnknown Easement · 392 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,816 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 62 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Champlain Valley
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits506Closed
Split Rock Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation457Open
Northeast Wilderness Trust Land
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits400Open
Boquet Mountain Leaning
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits392Closed
Kinglet Walker
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits301Closed
Kinglet Slopes
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits168Closed
Essex County Lands
Local Conservation Area
County158Restricted
Spirit Sanctuary Forest
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits141Closed
Kinglet Cook
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits139Closed
Cross- Main Parcel
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits136Closed

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

15 places to go in Essex

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in Essex
South Boquet Mountain1,201 ft elevation · In Eddy
Directions
Payne Mountain1,158 ft elevation
Directions
Ferguson Mountain1,030 ft elevation
Directions
North Boquet Mountain1,007 ft elevation
Directions
Whippie Mountain876 ft elevation
Directions
Sprig Mountain866 ft elevation
Directions
Trails & water

22 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Unpaved · 19.1 mi
Boquet Mountain Trail2.7 mi
The Eddy Trail1.4 mi
Whipple Mtn Trail (Red)1.3 mi
Beaver Flow Trail1.3 mi
Black Kettle Trail1.1 mi
Twin Valleys Loop Trail (Red)1.0 mi
Wildway Overlook Trail0.9 mi
Foothill Trail0.9 mi
Homestead Trail0.7 mi
North Boquet Summit Trail0.7 mi
12 more trails
Spirit Sanctuary Trail
0.7 mi
Rocky Ledges Trail
0.7 mi
Ferguson Mtn Trail (Yellow)
0.6 mi
Lower Trail
0.6 mi
Trail
0.3 mi
Bluestone Trail
0.3 mi
Green Trail
0.3 mi
Red Trail
0.3 mi
Yellow Trail
0.2 mi
Essex overlook
0.1 mi
Horsebeam Hill Trail (Yellow)
0.1 mi
Dr. Ken Adams Trail (Blue)
0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Boquet River
History along the way

5 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).

History →
Octagonal SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1973
About it
Church of the NazareneBuilding · listed 1973
About it
Essex Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About it
Essex County Home and FarmBuilding · listed 1982
About it
North-Sprague FarmBuilding · listed 2020
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Essex: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.210.411.813.414.815.515.214.012.410.99.58.9
High (°F)293241556877828072594635
Rain (in)2.21.92.32.93.13.93.83.43.13.42.62.7

February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Essex →

Next door

Essex and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Lewis61 miWestport39 miEssex31 miWillsboro24 miCharlotte20 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Essex— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Westport44%0.73,10059%A
Willsboro7%0.68635%B+
Lewis23%0.795130%A−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Essex

Where can I hike in Essex?

The longest trail networks: Eddy, 12.2 miles; Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center, 3.9 miles; Essex Quarry Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles; Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

Are dogs allowed on Essex’s trails?

Eddy and Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Essex?

33,804 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Essex or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,343 of them inside the town line.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Essex neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →