Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
28,662 acres25.3 mi of trail
Lizard Pond trailRound Pond TrailOregon trailLittle Joe Pond trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, The · Photo: karel.teifer · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Thurman
More than half of Thurman’s land is conserved: 51%
51% of Thurman’s land is conserved, about 29,705 acres. 28,880 acres are parks and preserves, 29,560 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Wilcox Lake Wild Forest (25.3 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
51%
29,705 acres · of 91.1 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
28,880 ac
29,560 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,904 ft
Mount Blue
Lakes & rivers
15
What kind of outdoors town is Thurman?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Thurman have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Thurman is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. 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 Thurman’s overall grade.
Conserved land51% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (41 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land29,560 acres of park per 1,000 residents (28,880 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home24% 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 82%
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
The longest trail network is Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, with 25.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Siamese Ponds Wilderness
Nature preserve
704 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
29,705 conserved acres
51% of Thurman’s land. Who manages Thurman’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation29,978 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
State Conservation Area · 28,678 acState Wilderness · 702 acUnknown Easement · 300 acForest Stewardship Easement · 299 acPrivate Conservation · 35 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 308 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilcox Lake Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 28,678 | Open |
| Siamese Ponds Wilderness State Wilderness | State conservation | 702 | Open |
| Hudson River Ice Meadows Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Open |
| Hudson River Ice Meadows Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Restricted |
Things to do
33 places to go in Thurman
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Thurman
4 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Thurman
Mount Blue2,904 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsMoose Mountain2,795 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsWolf Pond Mountain2,575 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsBearpen Peak2,520 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsLittle Mountain2,415 ft elevation
DirectionsCorner Mountain2,287 ft elevation · In Siamese Ponds Wilderness
DirectionsGeorgia Mountain2,270 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsNumber Nine Mountain2,119 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
Directions12 more peaks
Moose Mountain1,975 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsPartridge Mountain1,926 ft elevation
DirectionsGillingham Knoll1,906 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsCave Knoll1,706 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Mountain1,696 ft elevation · In Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
DirectionsBirch Mountain1,673 ft elevation
DirectionsNumber Twentysix Mountain1,663 ft elevation
DirectionsPotter Mountain1,496 ft elevation
DirectionsSugarloaf Mountain1,378 ft elevation
DirectionsPond Mountain1,319 ft elevation
DirectionsBurch Mountain1,293 ft elevation
DirectionsHeath Mountain1,283 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
21 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 23.3 mi
Lizard Pond trail4.2 mi
Round Pond Trail2.7 mi
Oregon trail2.4 mi
Ridge Trail1.6 mi
Little Joe Pond trail1.1 mi
Valley Trail1.1 mi
Georgia Creek trail1.1 mi
Arrow Trail0.9 mi
Indian Pond Trail0.8 mi
Pond0.7 mi
11 more trails
Ski Trail
0.7 miCross Trail
0.7 miRound Pond trail
0.6 miWest Side
0.6 miEast Side
0.5 miCod Pond trail (yellow)
0.5 miNelson's Pass
0.4 miEast Path
0.4 miBeaver Spur
0.2 miBartman trail
0.2 miMud Pond trail
0.1 miHistory 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 Thurman: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 71 | 76 | 74 | 67 | 55 | 42 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Thurman →
Next door
Thurman 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurman | 51% | 0.4 | 29,560 | 24% | A− |
| Warrensburg | 23% | 1.1 | 1,803 | 83% | A+ |
| Johnsburg | 61% | 0.7 | 15,018 | 54% | A |
| Stony Creek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chester | 7% | 0.8 | 1,113 | 34% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Thurman
Where can I hike in Thurman?
The longest trail networks: Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, 25.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Thurman is conserved land?
51% 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 Thurman’s trails?
Wilcox Lake Wild Forest and Siamese Ponds Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Thurman?
236,124 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thurman or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 29,587 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Thurman have?
Ahead of 82% 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 Thurman 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 →