Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0Amsterdam has 165 acres of parks, 9.1 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Veterans Park (0.7 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Amsterdam’s land is conserved, about 167 acres.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #431 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Amsterdam?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Amsterdam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Amsterdam is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #431 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Water is 6% of Amsterdam’s area (0 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Veterans Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 8 parks & preserves
167 conserved acres
4% of Amsterdam’s land. Water is left out: Amsterdam has 5.9 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Amsterdam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Of Amsterdam Land Local Park | Town or city | 107 | Unknown |
| Erie Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 48 | Open |
| Shuttleworth Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Riverlink Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Greater Amst School Dist Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 4 | Unknown |
| Isabel'S Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail State Recreation Area | Other state land | 2 | Open |
| Guy Park State Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 2 | Open |
| Sirchia Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
14 places to go in Amsterdam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 waterfalls without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
1 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Amsterdam: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 57 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Amsterdam →
Amsterdam and its neighbors
Amsterdam has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 4% | 0.4 | 9 | 89% | B |
| Florida | 2% | 0.1 | 146 | 29% | C+ |
| Fort Johnson | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Amsterdam
Where can I hike in Amsterdam?
The longest trail networks: Veterans Park, 0.7 miles; Riverlink Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Amsterdam is conserved land?
4% 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 Amsterdam’s trails?
Veterans Park and Shuttleworth Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Amsterdam?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Amsterdam?
7,369 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Amsterdam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 165 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Amsterdam have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #431 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 Amsterdam neighbors.
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 →