Belmont Lake State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
77 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Babylon
10% of Babylon’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 10% of Babylon’s land is conserved, about 150 acres. The biggest trail networks: Belmont Lake State Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #223 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
150 acres · of 2.4 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
154 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.7 mi
2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Babylon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Babylon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Babylon is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #223 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Babylon’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (154 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 71%
Water is 14% of Babylon’s area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
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 Belmont Lake State Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
150 conserved acres
10% of Babylon’s land. Water is left out: Babylon has 2.4 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Babylon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks74 ac
Town or city72 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government11 ac
Local Park · 83 acState Park · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 74 | Open |
| Argyle Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Hawleys Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| VILLAGE OF BABYLON Land Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Unknown |
| Village Lands Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| Babylon Town Lands Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Babylon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Babylon
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Babylon
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Babylon
Babylon Village Dog ParkIn Hawleys Lake Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Tennis
5Baseball
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Babylon: April to 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 42 | 49 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 65 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.3 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Babylon →
Next door
Babylon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | 10% | 0.3 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| West Islip | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Islip | 22% | 1.3 | 35 | 98% | A+ |
| West Babylon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Babylon | — 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 Babylon
Where can I hike in Babylon?
The longest trail networks: Belmont Lake State Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Babylon is conserved land?
10% 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 Babylon’s trails?
Belmont Lake State Park and Argyle Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Babylon?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Babylon?
33,038 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Babylon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 154 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Babylon have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #223 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 Babylon 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 →