Sand Flats State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
2,255 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lyonsdale
Lyonsdale has 4,543 acres of parks, 3,920 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Lyonsdale’s land is conserved, about 6,525 acres. 75% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7.9 miles of mapped trail cross Lyonsdale, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
6,525 acres · of 68.2 sq mi of land
Trails
7.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,543 ac
3,920 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Lyonsdale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lyonsdale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lyonsdale is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lyonsdale’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land3,920 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,543 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home75% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
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.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
High Towers State Forest
Nature preserve
722 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Independence River Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
648 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Black River Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
311 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
High Towers State Forest722 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sand Flats State Forest2,255 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Independence River Wild Forest648 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Black River Wild Forest311 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Lyonsdale Forest Preserve Detached Parcel28 acres
Moose River Falls Swimming Area2 acres
Who protects it
6,525 conserved acres
15% of Lyonsdale’s land. Who manages Lyonsdale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation4,388 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,636 ac
County882 ac
Town or city373 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,127 acPrivate Conservation · 1,636 acLocal Conservation Area · 881 acLocal Park · 374 acForest Stewardship Easement · 261 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 261 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Flats State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 2,404 | Open |
| Adirondacks Transfer Tracts Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 882 | Closed |
| Lewis County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 880 | Restricted |
| Adirondack Mountains - Moose River Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 754 | Closed |
| High Towers State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 729 | Open |
| Independence River Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 652 | Open |
| Black River Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 313 | Open |
| Village of Lyons Falls Land Local Park | Town or city | 199 | Unknown |
| Village Of Port Leyden Land Local Park | Town or city | 174 | Unknown |
| Lyonsdale Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 29 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in Lyonsdale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lyonsdale
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Lyonsdale
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Baseball
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Lyonsdale: 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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 38 | 52 | 66 | 73 | 77 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lyonsdale →
Next door
Lyonsdale and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyonsdale | 15% | 0.1 | 3,920 | 75% | A− |
| Leyden | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 30% | D |
| West Turin | 40% | 0.2 | 6,961 | 61% | A |
| Greig | 52% | 0.7 | 25,317 | 43% | A |
| Turin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Boonville | 20% | 0.6 | 1,298 | 61% | A |
| Forestport | 24% | 0.1 | 5,407 | 45% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lyonsdale
Where can I hike in Lyonsdale?
The longest trail networks: High Towers State Forest, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lyonsdale is conserved land?
15% 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 Lyonsdale’s trails?
Sand Flats State Forest and High Towers State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lyonsdale?
156,571 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lyonsdale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,543 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lyonsdale have?
Ahead of 80% 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 Lyonsdale 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 →