Cowee State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
3,640 acres17.5 mi of trail
Old Eastern Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Cowee ForestWebsite ↗
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Berlin
Berlin has 6,441 acres of parks, 3,286 for every 1,000 residents
42% of Berlin’s land is conserved, about 15,857 acres. 61 miles of mapped trail cross Berlin, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cowee State Forest (17.5 mi), Capital District Wildlife Management Area (10.3 mi), Berlin State Forest (9.2 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
15,857 acres · of 59.6 sq mi of land
Trails
61 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,441 ac
3,286 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,799 ft
Berlin Mountain
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Berlin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Berlin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Berlin is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Berlin’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (61 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3,286 acres of park per 1,000 residents (6,441 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home31% 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 90%
LessMore
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 Cowee State Forest, with 17.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Capital District Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
3,166 acres10.3 mi of trail
Deer Run (Purple)North by Northwest (Blue)Escarpment Trail (Yellow/Blue)Waterfalls Trail (Blue/White)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Berlin State Forest
Nature preserve
5,122 acres9.2 mi of trail
Mattison Hollow trail (yellow)Taconic Crest Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Taconic Ridge State Forest
Nature preserve
1,285 acres5.7 mi of trail
Taconic Crest TrailEastern TurnpikeMount Raimer spurClass of 1933 Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Berlin Community Forest
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
376 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cherry Plain State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
177 acres1.5 mi of trail
Lakeside Trail (Orange)Charcoal Kiln Trail (Yellow/Green)North by Northwest (Blue)Charcoal Trail (Yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
Nature preserve
13 acres0.9 mi of trail
Witchhobble Wander (Blue)Storybrook Trail (Black)Shoreline Trail (Light Blue)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Dyken Pond Center ParkingWebsite ↗
Bentley’s Karst Preserve
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
86 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Cowee State Forest3,640 acres · 17.5 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsCapital District Wildlife Management Area3,166 acres · 10.3 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsBerlin State Forest5,122 acres · 9.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTaconic Ridge State Forest1,285 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
Berlin Community Forest376 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Hudson Taconic Lands
Cherry Plain State Park177 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsDyken Pond Environmental Education Center13 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBentley’s Karst Preserve86 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Hudson Taconic Lands
DirectionsBentley's Cave Preserve6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Northeastern Cave Conservancy
Who protects it
15,857 conserved acres
42% of Berlin’s land. Who manages Berlin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation16,548 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5,134 ac
State parks176 ac
Town or city125 ac
Private owners62 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government15 ac
Regional Water Districts3 ac
State Conservation Area · 5,610 acState Resource Management Area · 5,292 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 4,998 acConservation Easement · 3,962 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,279 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,537 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Conservation Fund Land Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4,998 | Closed |
| Berlin State Forest State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 3,890 | Open |
| Taconic Ridge State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 3,678 | Open |
| Capital District Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 3,335 | Open |
| Cherry Plain State Park State Park | State parks | 176 | Open |
| Town of Berlin Land Local Park | Town or city | 125 | Unknown |
| Private Lands Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 62 | Closed |
| Rensselaer Land Trust Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Closed |
| Bear's Den Preserve Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 15 | Restricted |
| Northern Cave Conservancy Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Closed |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Berlin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Berlin
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Berlin
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Berlin
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Berlin
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Berlin
Berlin Mountain2,799 ft elevation · In Taconic Ridge State Forest
DirectionsMisery Mountain2,602 ft elevation · In Taconic Ridge State Forest
DirectionsMount Raimer2,572 ft elevation · In Taconic Ridge State Forest
DirectionsRocky Hill2,051 ft elevation · In Berlin Community Forest
DirectionsBuck Rock1,844 ft elevation
DirectionsButternut Hill1,657 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Berlin
Cherry Plain State Park CampgroundsIn Cherry Plain State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.5 miHorses · 3.7 miUnpaved · 36.5 mi
Taconic Crest Trail3.7 mi
Old Eastern Turnpike2.4 mi
North by Northwest (Blue)2.2 mi
Mattison Hollow trail (yellow)2.1 mi
Deer Run (Purple)2.1 mi
Eastern Turnpike1.3 mi
Escarpment Trail (Yellow/Blue)1.3 mi
Waterfalls Trail (Blue/White)1.2 mi
Mill Pond Trail (Red/Yellow)1.1 mi
Charcoal Trail (Yellow)1.1 mi
15 more trails
Trail
1.0 miLearning Curves
0.8 miBerlin Pass Trail
0.7 miMill Pond Trail (Red)
0.5 miTango
0.5 miThe Cirque
0.4 miLakeside Trail (Orange)
0.4 miCharcoal Kiln Trail (Yellow/Green)
0.3 miRipple
0.3 miWitchhobble Wander (Blue)
0.3 miStorybrook Trail (Black)
0.2 miGreen Wave
0.2 miShoreline Trail (Light Blue)
0.2 miProof of Concept
0.1 miMount Raimer spur
0.1 miLakes & 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
3Tennis
2Soccer
2Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Berlin: May and August
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Berlin →
Next door
Berlin and its neighbors
Berlin has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 42% | 1.0 | 3,286 | 31% | A |
| Petersburgh | 20% | 0.6 | 3,117 | 25% | A− |
| Sand Lake | 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 16% | C− |
| Stephentown | 17% | 0.7 | 839 | 12% | A− |
| Poestenkill | 6% | 0.6 | 35 | 27% | B |
| Grafton | 17% | 1.6 | 2,545 | 45% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Berlin
Where can I hike in Berlin?
The longest trail networks: Cowee State Forest, 17.5 miles; Capital District Wildlife Management Area, 10.3 miles; Berlin State Forest, 9.2 miles; Taconic Ridge State Forest, 5.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Berlin is conserved land?
42% 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 Berlin’s trails?
Cowee State Forest and Capital District Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Berlin?
69,619 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Berlin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,651 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Berlin have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Berlin 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 →