The Lead Mills Conservation Area covers 18 acres of land along the Forest River and includes trails, wetlands, woodlands, and historic remnants of the former lead smelting industry that operated there from the 17th to the 19th century. The park is managed by the Marblehead Conservation Commission and offers opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, fishing, and education. 

Lead Mills has been transformed from an 18th- and 19th-century industrial site to a meadow with views of the Salem Harbor and trails that cross the open fields. During Conservancy-sponsored Earth Day activities, volunteers have helped further transform the fields of weeds into oceans of wildflowers.