More than half of North Elba’s land is conserved: 81%
81% of North Elba’s land is conserved, about 79,000 acres. 16,696 acres are parks and preserves, 2,214 per 1,000 residents. 266 miles of mapped trail cross North Elba, 1.8 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #17 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
81%
79,000 acres · of 151.7 sq mi of land
Trails
266 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
16,696 ac
2,214 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.4 mi
4.4 mi paths
Highest peak
5,102 ft
Algonquin Peak
Lakes & rivers
33
4 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is North Elba?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Elba is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #17 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Elba’s overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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.
81% of North Elba’s land. Who manages North Elba’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation76,137 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3,847 ac
Town or city412 ac
State parks277 ac
Other state land152 ac
Private owners65 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government34 ac
State Wilderness · 58,756 acState Conservation Area · 15,028 acOther Easement · 2,300 acState Recreation Area · 1,303 acConservation Easement · 1,102 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,228 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
High Peaks Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
41,250
Open
Saranac Lakes Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
15,019
Open
Mckenzie Mountain Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
9,928
Open
Sentinel Range Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
7,578
Open
Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Recreation Area
State Recreation Area
State conservation
1,177
Open
Adirondak Loj
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
641
Closed
Town Of North Elba Land
Local Park
Town or city
370
Unknown
John Brown Farm State Historic Site
State Historic or Cultural Area
State parks
277
Open
Saranac Lakes
State Resource Management Area
State conservation
244
Open
Federal Correctional Institution
State Resource Management Area
Other state land
152
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
101 places to go in North Elba
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Tennis
10Baseball
6Soccer
5Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
19 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in North Elba: May and July 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)
9.2
10.4
11.8
13.4
14.7
15.5
15.2
14.0
12.4
10.9
9.5
8.9
High (°F)
23
26
34
46
60
68
72
70
63
51
38
28
Rain (in)
3.9
3.1
3.5
4.2
4.6
5.3
4.9
4.6
4.4
5.2
4.1
4.2
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 72 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in North Elba →
Next door
North Elba and its neighbors
North Elba has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Elba
Where can I hike in North Elba?
The longest trail networks: High Peaks Wilderness, 65.2 miles; Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, 48 miles; McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, 20.4 miles; Sentinel Range Wilderness, 8.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Elba is conserved land?
81% 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 North Elba’s trails?
High Peaks Wilderness and Saranac Lakes Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Elba?
4.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Elba?
439,156 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Elba or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 76,303 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Elba have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 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 North Elba neighbors.
Photo: Bala Subs · CC BY-SA 2.0