Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest
Nature preserve
3,059 acres11.7 mi of trail
North RImCalamity TrailRobins RunLewis Clearing Bay trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Essex County Fairgrounds · Photo: Mwanner · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Westport
Westport has 4,805 acres of parks, 3,100 for every 1,000 residents
44% of Westport’s land is conserved, about 16,312 acres. The biggest trail networks: Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest (11.7 mi), Coon Mountain Preserve (1.4 mi). 39 miles of mapped trail cross Westport, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
16,312 acres · of 58.2 sq mi of land
Trails
39 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,805 ac
3,100 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,936 ft
Campbell Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Westport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Westport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westport is ahead of 92% 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 Westport’s overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (39 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land3,100 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,805 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home59% 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 92%
LessMore
Water is 13% of Westport’s area (9 of 67 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 38%.
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 Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, with 11.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Coon Mountain Preserve
Managed by Adirondack Land Trust
379 acres1.4 mi of trail
Coon Mtn TrailHidden Valley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Coon Mtn Trailhead
Hammond Pond Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
41 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Ballard Park
Park
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest3,059 acres · 11.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCoon Mountain Preserve379 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Adirondack Land Trust
DirectionsHammond Pond Wild Forest41 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Ballard Park6 acres
Lee Park6 acres
Cole Island1 acres
Who protects it
16,312 conserved acres
44% of Westport’s land. Water is left out: Westport has 58.2 square miles of land and 8.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Westport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation19,168 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4,729 ac
Joint1,552 ac
Town or city1,330 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,062 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government12 ac
Regional Water Districts1 ac
Forest Stewardship Easement · 7,992 acUnknown Easement · 7,989 acConservation Easement · 3,993 acState Conservation Area · 3,109 acAgricultural Easement · 2,605 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11,294 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 51 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split Rock Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 3,066 | Open |
| Town Of Westport Land Local Park | Town or city | 1,330 | Unknown |
| Coon Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 331 | Open |
| Champlain Valley Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 103 | Closed |
| John Davis Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 73 | Closed |
| Eddy Foundation Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 54 | Open |
| Split Rock Beaver Falls Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 53 | Closed |
| Coon Mountain Moon Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Closed |
| Hammond Pond Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 42 | Open |
| Split Rock Stonemason Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 33 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in Westport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Westport
Westport BeachIn Lee Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Westport
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Westport
Westport Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Westport
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Westport
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Westport
Campbell Mountain1,936 ft elevation
DirectionsMoore Mountain1,808 ft elevation
DirectionsHarper Mountain1,673 ft elevation
DirectionsTwo Top Mountain1,532 ft elevation
DirectionsHoisington Mountain1,457 ft elevation
DirectionsStockwell Mountain1,276 ft elevation
DirectionsSmith Hill1,079 ft elevation
DirectionsSplit Rock Mountain1,033 ft elevation · In Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest
Directions12 more peaks
Coon Mountain1,017 ft elevation · In Coon Mountain Preserve
DirectionsThe Pinnacle889 ft elevation
DirectionsPayne Hill853 ft elevation
DirectionsBart Royce Hill827 ft elevation
DirectionsStanton Hill810 ft elevation
DirectionsToll Gate Hill807 ft elevation
DirectionsTrainor Hill784 ft elevation
DirectionsPeach Blow Hill699 ft elevation
DirectionsPhinney Hill696 ft elevation
DirectionsKronks Hill669 ft elevation
DirectionsAinger Hill659 ft elevation
DirectionsTwin Hill633 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.5 miUnpaved · 29.3 mi
North RIm1.9 mi
Calamity Trail1.9 mi
Robins Run1.8 mi
Lewis Clearing Bay trail1.7 mi
Barn Rock Trail1.4 mi
Cross-Over Trail0.9 mi
Gary's Elbow Trail0.8 mi
Coon Mtn Trail0.7 mi
Hidden Valley Trail0.7 mi
Ore Bed overlook0.1 mi
2 more trails
Snake Den Harbor overlook
0.1 miEssex overlook
0.1 miLakes & 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
2Baseball
1Multi-sport
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 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.
First Congregational and Presbyterian Society Church of WestportBuilding · listed 1988
About itCamp Dudley Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itEssex County FairgroundsBuilding · listed 2005
About itLake View Grange No. 970Building · listed 2013
About itWestport Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021
About itWadhams Grange HallBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Westport: 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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Westport →
Next door
Westport 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport | 44% | 0.7 | 3,100 | 59% | A |
| Elizabethtown | 57% | 0.7 | 5,112 | 71% | A |
| Essex | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Moriah | 40% | 0.5 | 1,471 | 27% | A− |
| Lewis | 23% | 0.7 | 951 | 30% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Westport
Where can I hike in Westport?
The longest trail networks: Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, 11.7 miles; Coon Mountain Preserve, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westport is conserved land?
44% 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 Westport’s trails?
Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest and Coon Mountain Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Westport?
78,240 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,143 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westport have?
Ahead of 92% 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 Westport 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 →