Deer Lick Conservation Area
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
419 acres4.3 mi of trail
White TrailYellow TrailOrange TrailRed Trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Pubdog · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Persia
Persia has 985 acres of parks, 481 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Deer Lick Conservation Area (4.3 mi), Zoar Valley Unique Area (1.9 mi), Gateway Park (1 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8% of Persia’s land is conserved, about 1,047 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,047 acres · of 20.9 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
985 ac
481 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Persia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Persia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Persia is ahead of 88% 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 Persia’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land481 acres of park per 1,000 residents (985 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home88% 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 88%
LessMore
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.
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 Deer Lick Conservation Area, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Zoar Valley Unique Area
Nature preserve
352 acres1.9 mi of trail
Memorial TrailNew Trail to River
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Gateway Park
Managed by Village of Gowanda
27 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Deer Lick Conservation Area419 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsZoar Valley Unique Area352 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsGateway Park27 acres · 1 mi of trail · Village of Gowanda
DirectionsSaint John Park2 acres
DirectionsChang Hu Park1 acres · Village of Gowanda
DirectionsWho protects it
1,047 conserved acres
8% of Persia’s land. Who manages Persia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,050 ac
State conservation352 ac
Town or city98 ac
County71 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Private Conservation · 1,050 acState Conservation Area · 352 acLocal Park · 170 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Lick Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 401 | Open |
| Deer Lick Nature Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 401 | Open |
| Zoar Valley Unique Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 352 | Open |
| Perkins Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 247 | Open |
| Gowanda Water Co-Village Land Local Park | Town or city | 85 | Unknown |
| Cattaraugus County Forest Land Local Park | County | 71 | Unknown |
| Village Of Gowanda Land Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Unknown |
| Saint Johns Park Lands Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Persia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Persia
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Persia
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Persia
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Persia
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Persia
Bear PointIn Deer Lick Conservation Area
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Persia
6 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.7 mi
White Trail1.8 mi
Yellow Trail1.0 mi
Orange Trail1.0 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Memorial Trail0.4 mi
New Trail to River0.3 mi
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
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Persia: May, June, 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Persia →
Next door
Persia and its neighbors
Persia has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persia | 8% | 0.5 | 481 | 88% | A |
| Otto | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Collins | 5% | 0.3 | 123 | 32% | B |
| Gowanda | 3% | 0.9 | 20 | 99%+ | A− |
| Dayton | 1% | under 0.1 | 9 | 33% | C− |
| New Albion | 3% | 0.2 | 328 | 30% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Persia
Where can I hike in Persia?
The longest trail networks: Deer Lick Conservation Area, 4.3 miles; Zoar Valley Unique Area, 1.9 miles; Gateway Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Persia is conserved land?
8% 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 Persia’s trails?
Deer Lick Conservation Area and Zoar Valley Unique Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Persia?
11,339 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Persia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 985 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Persia have?
Ahead of 88% 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 Persia 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 →