Terry Mountain State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
4,742 acres7.3 mi of trail
Military Pond TrailChamplain View TrailMud Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Valcour Bay · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Peru
Peru has 6,983 acres of parks, 1,041 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Peru’s land is conserved, about 8,242 acres. 95 miles of mapped trail cross Peru, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Terry Mountain State Forest (7.3 mi), Valcour Island Primitive Area (7.3 mi), Macomb Reservation State Park (3.4 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #140 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
8,242 acres · of 78.9 sq mi of land
Trails
95 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,983 ac
1,041 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.4 mi
Highest peak
2,126 ft
Buckley Mountain
Lakes & rivers
11
9 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Peru?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam1,041 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild16% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 84% of U.S. towns.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Peru have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Peru is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #140 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 Peru’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (95 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,041 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,983 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home39% 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 88%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 82%
Water is 15% of Peru’s area (13 of 92 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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 Terry Mountain State Forest, with 7.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Valcour Island Primitive Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
772 acres7.3 mi of trail
South Perimeter TrailRoyal Savage TrailPrimitive Trail SouthNOMAD Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Macomb Reservation State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
331 acres3.4 mi of trail
Corridor 8
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
719 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Taylor Pond Wild Forest
Nature preserve
506 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Burnt Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
362 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 12 parks & preserves
Terry Mountain State Forest4,742 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Valcour Island Primitive Area772 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Macomb Reservation State Park331 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area719 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTaylor Pond Wild Forest506 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Burnt Hill State Forest362 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Hayworth-Mason Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLapham Mills Park17 acres · Town of Peru
M. J. Sullivan Park5 acres · Town of Peru
Macomb State Forest1 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Little Ausable Park1 acres · Town of Peru
DirectionsSpoon Island1 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Who protects it
8,242 conserved acres
16% of Peru’s land. Water is left out: Peru has 78.9 square miles of land and 13.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Peru’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation8,456 ac
State parks334 ac
Town or city50 ac
State Conservation Area · 6,416 acState Resource Management Area · 722 acUnknown Easement · 599 acForest Stewardship Easement · 598 acState Park · 334 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Mountain State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 4,761 | Open |
| Valcour Island Primitive Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 774 | Open |
| Ausable Marsh Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 722 | Open |
| Taylor Pond Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 515 | Open |
| Burnt Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 363 | Open |
| Macomb Reservation State Park State Park | State parks | 334 | Open |
| Ausable Point Campground State Recreation Area | State conservation | 111 | Open |
| Town of Peru Land Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Unknown |
| Peru Dock Boat Launch State Recreation Area | State conservation | 10 | Open |
| Macomb State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
34 places to go in Peru
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Peru
9 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Peru
5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Peru
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Peru
Peru Dock Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Peru
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Peru
Buckley Mountain2,126 ft elevation
DirectionsBig Nineteen Mountain2,090 ft elevation
DirectionsTerry Mountain2,060 ft elevation · In Terry Mountain State Forest
DirectionsLittle Nineteen Mountain1,864 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Pinnacle1,844 ft elevation
DirectionsLynch Mountain1,683 ft elevation
DirectionsPaddy Mountain1,506 ft elevation
DirectionsQuinn Mountain1,506 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Mount Etna1,499 ft elevation
DirectionsBig Hill1,490 ft elevation
DirectionsOak Hill1,421 ft elevation
DirectionsConway Hill1,401 ft elevation
DirectionsWalker Hill1,401 ft elevation
DirectionsBennett Hill1,070 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Peru
Ausable Pines Campground & RV
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 19.9 miHorses · 2.0 miUnpaved · 86.6 mi
Snowmobile Route C83.9 mi
Snowmobile Route3.7 mi
Snowmobile Route S823.1 mi
Corridor 82.5 mi
South Perimeter Trail2.1 mi
Royal Savage Trail1.5 mi
Military Pond Trail1.3 mi
Primitive Trail South1.0 mi
NOMAD Trail0.8 mi
Champlain View Trail0.7 mi
4 more trails
Mud Pond Trail
0.6 miNorth Perimeter Trail
0.6 miS86A
0.3 miLittle Ausable River Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
4.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Baseball
6Tennis
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Valcour Island LighthouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itCarpenter's Flats BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itDelaware and Hudson Railroad BridgeStructure · listed 1999
About itPeru Community ChurchBuilding · listed 2001
About itHeyworth-Mason Industrial BuildingBuilding · listed 2011
About itLyon Street SchoolBuilding · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Peru: 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Peru →
Next door
Peru and its neighbors
Peru has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Black Brook174 miPeru95 miSaranac79 miSchuyler Falls41 miPlattsburgh27 miAu Sable25 miSouth Hero9.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | 16% | 1.2 | 1,041 | 39% | A |
| Au Sable | 4% | 0.6 | 8 | 26% | C+ |
| Schuyler Falls | 6% | 1.1 | 262 | 35% | A− |
| Plattsburgh | 7% | 0.6 | 181 | 59% | A− |
| Black Brook | 48% | 1.3 | 17,980 | 53% | A |
| Saranac | 34% | 0.7 | 4,440 | 31% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Peru
Where can I hike in Peru?
The longest trail networks: Terry Mountain State Forest, 7.3 miles; Valcour Island Primitive Area, 7.3 miles; Macomb Reservation State Park, 3.4 miles; Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Peru is conserved land?
16% 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 Peru’s trails?
Terry Mountain State Forest and Valcour Island Primitive Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Peru?
4.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Peru?
65,975 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Peru or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,708 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Peru have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #140 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 Peru 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 →