More than half of Franklin’s land is conserved: 73%
73% of Franklin’s land is conserved, about 78,936 acres. 42,332 acres are parks and preserves, 33,839 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Debar Mountain Wild Forest (12.1 mi), Chazy Highlands Wild Forest (1.1 mi).
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin’s overall grade.
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.
73% of Franklin’s land. Who manages Franklin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation109,535 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits515 ac
State Conservation Area · 43,049 acForest Stewardship Easement · 35,098 acUnknown Easement · 31,098 acConservation Easement · 515 acState Recreation Area · 289 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 35,599 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 26 of 42 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Debar Mountain Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
18,455
Open
Taylor Pond Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
13,979
Open
Chazy Highlands Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
8,942
Open
Union Falls Pond
State Conservation Area
State conservation
1,350
Restricted
Saranac Lakes Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
324
Open
Buck Pond Campground
State Recreation Area
State conservation
289
Open
Mckenzie Mountain Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
1
Open
Things to do
44 places to go in Franklin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Franklin
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Franklin
Loon Lake Mountain3,327 ft elevation · In Debar Mountain Wild Forest
The best walking months in Franklin: 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)
24
28
37
50
64
72
76
74
67
54
41
30
Rain (in)
3.1
2.5
2.9
3.7
4.1
4.7
4.4
4.1
4.0
4.7
3.5
3.5
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Franklin →
Next door
Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin
Where can I hike in Franklin?
The longest trail networks: Debar Mountain Wild Forest, 12.1 miles; Chazy Highlands Wild Forest, 1.1 miles; Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin is conserved land?
73% 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 Franklin’s trails?
Debar Mountain Wild Forest and Chazy Highlands Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Franklin?
270,146 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 42,332 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Franklin 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 Franklin neighbors.
Photo: Mwanner | Talk. Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0