Lewis has 1,099 acres of parks, 951 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Lewis’ land is conserved, about 12,381 acres. The biggest trail networks: Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center (4.2 mi), Jay Mountain Wilderness (2.2 mi), Taylor Pond Wild Forest (1.6 mi). 61 miles of mapped trail cross Lewis, 0.7 per square mile of land.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lewis is ahead of 84% 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 Lewis’ overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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.
23% of Lewis’ land. Who manages Lewis’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation13,906 ac
County516 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits251 ac
Town or city18 ac
State Wilderness · 8,097 acForest Stewardship Easement · 2,313 acUnknown Easement · 2,312 acState Conservation Area · 1,068 acLocal Conservation Area · 516 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,430 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Jay Mountain Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
5,383
Open
Hurricane Mountain Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
2,714
Open
Taylor Pond Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
1,061
Open
Essex County Lands
Local Conservation Area
County
516
Restricted
Champlain Valley
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
251
Closed
Town Of Lewis Land
Local Park
Town or city
18
Unknown
Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area
State Conservation Area
State conservation
7
Open
Poke-O-Moonshine Day Use Area
State Recreation Area
State conservation
1
Open
Things to do
67 places to go in Lewis
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Lewis
11 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Lewis
Saddleback Mountain3,615 ft elevation · In Jay Mountain Wilderness
The best walking months in Lewis: 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
8.9
High (°F)
28
31
40
54
67
75
80
78
70
57
44
34
Rain (in)
2.3
2.0
2.5
3.2
3.2
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.2
3.6
2.8
2.8
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lewis →
Next door
Lewis and its neighbors
Lewis has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 Lewis
Where can I hike in Lewis?
The longest trail networks: Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center, 4.2 miles; Jay Mountain Wilderness, 2.2 miles; Taylor Pond Wild Forest, 1.6 miles; Hurricane Mountain Wilderness, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lewis is conserved land?
23% 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 Lewis’ trails?
Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center and Jay Mountain Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lewis?
109,396 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lewis or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,244 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lewis have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Lewis neighbors.
First Congregational Church and Cemetery · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0