Flat Rock State Forest
Nature preserve
1,908 acres7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Altona
Altona has 3,313 acres of parks, 1,331 for every 1,000 residents
12% of Altona’s land is conserved, about 7,682 acres. The biggest trail networks: Flat Rock State Forest (7 mi). 23% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #318 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
7,682 acres · of 101.0 sq mi of land
Trails
41 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,313 ac
1,331 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,112 ft
Big Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Altona?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Altona have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Altona is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #318 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Altona’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% 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 land1,331 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,313 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home23% 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 73%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 58%
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 Flat Rock State Forest, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Brook State Forest
Nature preserve
1,143 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Lewis Preserve Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
1,312 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Dunkin's Reserve State Forest
Nature preserve
79 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Flat Rock State Forest1,908 acres · 7 mi of trail
Spring Brook State Forest1,143 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Lewis Preserve Wildlife Management Area1,312 acres
Dunkin's Reserve State Forest79 acres
Clinton Forest Preserve Detached Parcel59 acres
Who protects it
7,682 conserved acres
12% of Altona’s land. Who manages Altona’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation4,534 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,219 ac
Other state land1,389 ac
American Indian Lands645 ac
Town or city77 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)30 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,214 acConservation Easement · 1,782 acState Other or Unknown · 1,389 acState Resource Management Area · 1,320 acNative American Land Area · 645 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 636 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,923 | Open |
| New York State Lands State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 1,389 | Unknown |
| Lewis Preserve Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 1,320 | Open |
| Spring Brook State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,150 | Open |
| Ganienkeh Lands Native American Land Area | American Indian Lands | 645 | Unknown |
| YMCA Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 333 | Closed |
| Dunkin'S Reserve State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 81 | Open |
| Town Of Altona Land Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Unknown |
| Adirondack Mountains - Altona Flat Rock Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 67 | Closed |
| Altona Flat Rock Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 67 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Altona
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Altona
Big Hill1,112 ft elevation
DirectionsNegro Hill725 ft elevation
DirectionsCobblestone Hill699 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 24.7 miUnpaved · 35.2 mi
Old Route 1900.3 mi
Lakes & 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
2Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Altona: May 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 28 | 37 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 56 | 43 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Altona →
Next door
Altona and its neighbors
Altona has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altona | 12% | 0.4 | 1,331 | 23% | B+ |
| Mooers | 4% | 0.2 | 517 | 18% | B− |
| Chazy | 8% | 0.2 | 15 | 18% | C+ |
| Ellenburg | 24% | 0.1 | 5,409 | 14% | B+ |
| Beekmantown | 7% | 0.2 | 402 | 13% | B |
| Dannemora | 33% | 0.6 | 2,206 | 88% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Altona
Where can I hike in Altona?
The longest trail networks: Flat Rock State Forest, 7 miles; Spring Brook State Forest, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Altona is conserved land?
12% 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 Altona’s trails?
Flat Rock State Forest and Spring Brook State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Altona?
41,080 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Altona or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,636 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Altona have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #318 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 Altona 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 →