Wilmington Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
10,391 acres34.4 mi of trail
Cooper Kiln Pond TrailWilmington TrailAll InCobble Lookout Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Theedster123 at English Wikipedia · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Wilmington
More than half of Wilmington’s land is conserved: 63%
63% of Wilmington’s land is conserved, about 26,502 acres. 14,187 acres are parks and preserves, 11,340 per 1,000 residents. 63 miles of mapped trail cross Wilmington, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
63%
26,502 acres · of 65.2 sq mi of land
Trails
63 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
14,187 ac
11,340 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
4,810 ft
Whiteface Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Wilmington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild63% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.Room to roam11,340 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 79% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wilmington is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wilmington’s overall grade.
Conserved land63% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (63 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land11,340 acres of park per 1,000 residents (14,187 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home62% 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 95%
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 Wilmington Wild Forest, with 34.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
New Vida Preserve
Managed by Richard/Matthew Vidal
572 acres5.7 mi of trail
Wild Wetlands (Orange)Lower Traverse (Dark Green)Lean On Me (Purple)Big Sky (Dark Blue)+1
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Sentinel Range Wilderness
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
8,068 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
4,635 acres2.5 mi of trail
Whiteface Landing Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Four Peaks Tract
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
93 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Wilmington Wild Forest10,391 acres · 34.4 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsNew Vida Preserve572 acres · 5.7 mi of trail · Richard/Matthew Vidal
Sentinel Range Wilderness8,068 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsMcKenzie Mountain Wilderness4,635 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsFour Peaks Tract93 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Town of Wilmington Beach5 acres
DirectionsBartlett Primitive Area4 acres
DirectionsWilmington Bike Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
26,502 conserved acres
63% of Wilmington’s land. Who manages Wilmington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation26,268 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits213 ac
Town or city13 ac
Private owners9 ac
Regional Water Districts6 ac
State Wilderness · 12,717 acState Conservation Area · 10,428 acState Recreation Area · 3,124 acPrivate Conservation · 213 acLocal Park · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 10,400 | Open |
| Sentinel Range Wilderness State Wilderness | State conservation | 8,073 | Open |
| Mckenzie Mountain Wilderness State Wilderness | State conservation | 4,644 | Open |
| Whiteface Mountain Ski Center State Recreation Area | State conservation | 3,003 | Open |
| Wilmington Notch Campground State Recreation Area | State conservation | 121 | Open |
| Lake Placid Land Conservancy Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 109 | Closed |
| Beaver Brook Tract Expansion Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 104 | Restricted |
| State University of New York Atmospheric Sciences Research Center State Conservation Area | State conservation | 23 | Restricted |
| Town Of Wilmington Land Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Unknown |
| Private Lands Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 9 | Closed |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
66 places to go in Wilmington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wilmington
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Wilmington
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Wilmington
Lake Everest Boat Launch
DirectionsFishing spots in Wilmington
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Wilmington
Flume FallsIn Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsHigh Falls (Climax)
DirectionsHigh Falls (Main)In McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
DirectionsHigh Falls (Mini)In McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
DirectionsHigh Falls (Rainbow)In McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
DirectionsLower Stag Brook Falls
DirectionsThe Flume FallIn Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsUpper Stag Brook Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Wilmington
Bessies ViewIn Four Peaks Tract
DirectionsPlus 25 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Wilmington
Whiteface Mountain4,810 ft elevation
DirectionsWhiteface Mountain - Southwest Slope4,265 ft elevation · In McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
DirectionsEsther Mountain4,242 ft elevation · In Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsLookout Mountain4,075 ft elevation
DirectionsKilburn Mountain3,878 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
DirectionsSentinel Mountain3,852 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
DirectionsLittle Whiteface Mountain3,645 ft elevation
DirectionsStewart Mountain3,622 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
Directions12 more peaks
Morgan Mountain3,445 ft elevation · In Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsBaldwin Hill3,228 ft elevation · In McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
DirectionsBear Den Mountain - North Peak2,861 ft elevation
DirectionsMarble Mountain2,733 ft elevation · In Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsBear Den Mountain2,694 ft elevation
DirectionsWinch Mountain2,677 ft elevation · In Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsHamlin Mountain2,113 ft elevation · In Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsThe Cobble Mountain2,103 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
DirectionsPine Mountain2,067 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
DirectionsWinch Mountain1,939 ft elevation
DirectionsHiccock Mountain1,936 ft elevation · In Sentinel Range Wilderness
DirectionsQuaker Mountain1,545 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wilmington
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wilmington
Cooper Kill Pond TrailheadIn Wilmington Wild Forest
DirectionsWilmington Notch CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 18.4 miUnpaved · 47.8 mi
Cooper Kiln Pond Trail5.6 mi
Wilmington Trail4.7 mi
All In2.6 mi
Whiteface Landing Trail2.2 mi
Wild Wetlands (Orange)1.3 mi
Three Sisters1.3 mi
Lower Traverse (Dark Green)1.2 mi
Cobble Lookout Trail1.2 mi
Bear Den Trail1.1 mi
Ridge1.1 mi
15 more trails
West Branch Nature Trail
1.1 miGulo Gulo
1.1 miLean On Me (Purple)
1.1 miLost Farm
1.0 miAnte Up
0.9 miSide Pot
0.8 miBig Sky (Dark Blue)
0.8 miMarble Mountain Trail
0.7 miGood Luck
0.7 miMakebelieve
0.7 miFlobus
0.7 miFlume Knob Trail
0.7 miDouble Time
0.6 miEsther Herd Path
0.5 miRed Trail
0.5 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
3Tennis
2Baseball
1Skate park
1Basketball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wilmington: 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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 26 | 34 | 47 | 61 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 51 | 38 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wilmington →
Next door
Wilmington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 63% | 1.0 | 11,340 | 62% | A |
| Jay | 22% | 0.7 | 1,095 | 40% | A |
| Black Brook | 48% | 1.3 | 17,980 | 53% | A |
| St. Armand | 81% | 0.3 | 4,247 | 91% | A |
| North Elba | 81% | 1.8 | 2,214 | 83% | A+ |
| Keene | 78% | 1.3 | 2,499 | 36% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wilmington
Where can I hike in Wilmington?
The longest trail networks: Wilmington Wild Forest, 34.4 miles; New Vida Preserve, 5.7 miles; Sentinel Range Wilderness, 2.7 miles; McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wilmington is conserved land?
63% 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 Wilmington’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at New Vida Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wilmington?
217,855 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wilmington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 27,009 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wilmington have?
Ahead of 95% 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 Wilmington 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 →