Moriah Wilderness Preserve
Managed by Northeast Wilderness Trust
3,498 acres8.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Enesse Bhé · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Moriah
Moriah has 6,593 acres of parks, 1,471 for every 1,000 residents
40% of Moriah’s land is conserved, about 16,678 acres. The biggest trail networks: Moriah Wilderness Preserve (8.9 mi), Hammond Pond Wild Forest (4.6 mi). 27% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #197 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
40%
16,678 acres · of 64.5 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,593 ac
1,471 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
27%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,313 ft
Bald Peak
Lakes & rivers
15
3 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Moriah?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Moriah have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Moriah is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #197 of 758 in New York. 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 Moriah’s overall grade.
Conserved land40% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1,471 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,593 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home27% 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 83%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 74%
Water is 9% of Moriah’s area (7 of 71 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 37%.
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
The longest trail network is Moriah Wilderness Preserve, with 8.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hammond Pond Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
5,322 acres4.6 mi of trail
Crowfoot Pond TrailEast Mill flow trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
16,678 conserved acres
40% of Moriah’s land. Water is left out: Moriah has 64.5 square miles of land and 6.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Moriah’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation24,919 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits934 ac
Joint51 ac
Town or city5 ac
Unknown Easement · 9,196 acForest Stewardship Easement · 9,178 acState Conservation Area · 6,540 acPrivate Conservation · 835 acConservation Easement · 98 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 9,293 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 22 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond Pond Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 6,540 | Open |
| Parch Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 835 | Closed |
| Town of Moriah Land Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Unknown |
| Port Henry Boat Launch State Recreation Area | State conservation | 5 | Open |
Things to do
44 places to go in Moriah
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Moriah
Bulwagga Bay Beach
DirectionsPort Henry Village Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Moriah
Bridgeview Harbour MarinaFee
DirectionsBulwagga Bay Campground
DirectionsPort Henry NYS Boar Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Moriah
Roe Pond Children's Fishing Area
DirectionsScenic views in Moriah
limited view east
Directionslimited view southeast
Directionssouth view
Directionswest viewIn Hammond Pond Wild Forest
Directionswest view
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Moriah
Bald Peak2,313 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsStiles Hill2,238 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsHarris Hill2,208 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsLock Mountain2,064 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsBlue Hill2,057 ft elevation
DirectionsBald Peak2,047 ft elevation
DirectionsArmstrong Mountain2,028 ft elevation · In Moriah Wilderness Preserve
DirectionsBarton Mountain1,883 ft elevation
Directions12 more peaks
Belfry Mountain1,850 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsMoriah Pond Mountain1,837 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsHoward Mountain1,706 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsTrout Pond Hill1,654 ft elevation · In Hammond Pond Wild Forest
DirectionsMount Tom1,650 ft elevation
DirectionsCook Mountain1,509 ft elevation
DirectionsQuinn Mountain1,299 ft elevation
DirectionsCheney Mountain1,161 ft elevation
DirectionsSullivan Hill833 ft elevation
DirectionsBurns Mountain764 ft elevation
DirectionsWalton Mountain696 ft elevation
DirectionsColligan Hill617 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Moriah
Plus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Moriah
Port Henry Village Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 20.4 mi
Broughton Ledges Loop trail2.1 mi
Crowfoot Pond Trail1.9 mi
Broughton Ledges trail1.6 mi
Cheney mountain trail0.8 mi
Parch Pond trail0.4 mi
McConley Spring Trail0.4 mi
climbers path0.2 mi
East Mill flow trail0.2 mi
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
3Pickleball
1Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Van Ornam & Murdock BlockBuilding · listed 1982
About itWitherbee Memorial HallBuilding · listed 1991
About itMoriah Town Office BuildingBuilding · listed 1995
About itCentral PowerhouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itDelaware & Hudson Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1995
About itMount Moriah Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1995
About itPort Henry Fire Department BuildingBuilding · listed 1995
About itSherman Free LibraryBuilding · listed 1995
About itHenry's GarageBuilding · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Moriah: 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 31 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 80 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Moriah →
Next door
Moriah and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Hudson100 miElizabethtown53 miWestport39 miMoriah32 miAddison20 miCrown Point20 miPanton1.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moriah | 40% | 0.5 | 1,471 | 27% | A− |
| North Hudson | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Crown Point | 42% | 0.3 | 2,273 | 46% | A− |
| Westport | 44% | 0.7 | 3,100 | 59% | A |
| Elizabethtown | 57% | 0.7 | 5,112 | 71% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Moriah
Where can I hike in Moriah?
The longest trail networks: Moriah Wilderness Preserve, 8.9 miles; Hammond Pond Wild Forest, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Moriah is conserved land?
40% 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 Moriah’s trails?
Moriah Wilderness Preserve and Hammond Pond Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Moriah?
137,178 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Moriah or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,593 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Moriah have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #197 of 758 in New York. 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 Moriah 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 →