Hudson Highlands State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
188 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dennings Point Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
National Biscuit Company Carton Making and Printing Plant · Photo: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller) · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Beacon
Beacon has 8.7 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
25% of Beacon’s land is conserved, about 737 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Hudson Highlands State Park (1.6 mi), Long Dock Park (1.6 mi), Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #63 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
737 acres · of 4.7 sq mi of land
Trails
8.7 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
340 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Beacon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Beacon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Beacon is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #63 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Beacon’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (340 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 92%
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 Hudson Highlands State Park, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Long Dock Park
Park
21 acres1.6 mi of trail
Klara Sauer Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park
Park
6 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Hudson Highlands State Park188 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsLong Dock Park21 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park6 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Avenue Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBeacon Memorial Park50 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMadam Brett Homestead6 acres
DirectionsRoundhouse Trail1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
737 conserved acres
25% of Beacon’s land. Who manages Beacon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land381 ac
State parks196 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits125 ac
Town or city123 ac
County89 ac
State Resource Management Area · 319 acState Conservation Area · 187 acLocal Other or Unknown · 89 acLocal Park · 87 acPrivate Park · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishkill State Correctional Facility State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 319 | Open |
| Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 187 | Open |
| Hiddenbrooke Local Other or Unknown | County | 89 | Unknown |
| City Of Beacon Land Local Park | Town or city | 72 | Unknown |
| The Park At University Settlement Society State Recreation Area | Other state land | 63 | Open |
| Long Dock Park Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 54 | Unknown |
| Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Mt. Beacon Gateway Park State Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 30 | Unknown |
| Madam Brett Park Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 26 | Unknown |
| Scenic Hudson Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Closed |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Beacon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Beacon
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Beacon
7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Beacon
Beacon Dog ParkIn Beacon Memorial Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Beacon
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Beacon
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Beacon
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Klara Sauer Trail0.9 mi
Dennings Point Trail0.6 mi
White Trail0.4 mi
Hiddenbrooke Trail0.4 mi
Casino Trail (Red)0.2 mi
Dave Miller Connector Trail0.1 mi
Red Trail0.1 mi
Powerline Trail (unmarked)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Tennis
11Baseball
7Basketball
5Soccer
3Football
2Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Howland LibraryBuilding · listed 1973
About itTioronda BridgeStructure · listed 1976
About itMadam Catharyna Brett HomesteadBuilding · listed 1976
About itEustatiaBuilding · listed 1979
About itLower Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itUS Post Office-BeaconBuilding · listed 1988
About itBogardus-DeWindt HouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itNational Biscuit Company Carton Making and Printing PlantBuilding · listed 2003
About itPeter C. DuBois HouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itBeacon Engine Company No. 1 FirehouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itSt. Luke's Episcopal Church ComplexBuilding · listed 2008
About itTrinity Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 2010
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Beacon: April, May and July
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Beacon →
Questions about parks and trails in Beacon
Where can I hike in Beacon?
The longest trail networks: Hudson Highlands State Park, 1.6 miles; Long Dock Park, 1.6 miles; Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park, 0.7 miles; South Avenue Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Beacon is conserved land?
25% 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 Beacon’s trails?
Hudson Highlands State Park and Long Dock Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Beacon?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Beacon?
48,639 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beacon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 657 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Beacon have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #63 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 Beacon 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 →