Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
4,544 acres18.1 mi of trail
New York Long PathBlue trailWood Duck TrailInterpretive trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Berne
Berne has 2,788 acres of parks, 1,041 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Berne’s land is conserved, about 7,426 acres. The biggest trail networks: Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area (18.1 mi), Cole Hill State Forest (7.7 mi), Switzkill Farm (4.3 mi). 45 miles of mapped trail cross Berne, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #204 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
7,426 acres · of 64.0 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,788 ac
1,041 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,162 ft
Henry Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Berne?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Berne have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Berne is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #204 of 758 in New York. 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 Berne’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,041 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,788 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home26% 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 82%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 73%
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 Partridge Run WMA, with 18.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cole Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
846 acres7.7 mi of trail
Ski Trail #1 / Long PathRed TrailSki Trail #2Ski Trail #4 / Long Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Switzkill Farm
Managed by Town of Berne
363 acres4.3 mi of trail
Orange TrailRed TrailBlue trailYellow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Partridge Run State Forest
Nature preserve
923 acres3.1 mi of trail
Border TrailBradt Hollow Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ski Land Conservation Land
Managed by Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
145 acres1.9 mi of trail
Snowmobile Trailtrail closed
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kenrose Sanctuary
Park
277 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Huyck Preserve
Nature preserve
174 acres1.2 mi of trail
Loop 3
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hannacroix Ravine
Park
80 acres0.8 mi of trail
Orange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area4,544 acres · 18.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCole Hill State Forest846 acres · 7.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSwitzkill Farm363 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Town of Berne
DirectionsPartridge Run State Forest923 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSki Land Conservation Land145 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
DirectionsKenrose Sanctuary277 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Huyck Preserve174 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Hannacroix Ravine80 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Switz Kill Natural Area34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Berne
Thacher State Park25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Berne Town Park18 acres · Town of Berne
DirectionsFox Creek Park3 acres · Town of Berne
DirectionsWho protects it
7,426 conserved acres
18% of Berne’s land. Who manages Berne’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation6,343 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,838 ac
Town or city52 ac
State parks28 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,560 acState Conservation Area · 1,783 acPrivate Conservation · 902 acConservation Easement · 468 acOther Easement · 358 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 469 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partridge Run Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 4,560 | Open |
| Partridge Run State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 931 | Open |
| Cole Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 852 | Open |
| Kenrose Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 578 | Open |
| Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 165 | Closed |
| Hannacroix Ravine Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 159 | Open |
| Town of Berne Land Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Unknown |
| John Boyd Thacher State Park State Park | State parks | 28 | Open |
Things to do
37 places to go in Berne
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Berne
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Berne
Thompson Lake Fishing Access Site
DirectionsWaterfalls in Berne
17 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Berne
The GulfIn Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Berne
Henry Hill2,162 ft elevation · In Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsGarver Hill2,064 ft elevation
DirectionsCook Hill1,982 ft elevation
DirectionsUnchachogue Creek1,959 ft elevation · In Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsFilkins Hill1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsIrish Hill1,647 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Hill1,470 ft elevation · In Switzkill Farm
DirectionsCole Hill1,342 ft elevation · In Ski Land Conservation Land
DirectionsPicnic areas in Berne
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.9 miHorses · 5.8 miUnpaved · 37.1 mi
New York Long Path4.8 mi
Long Path2.8 mi
Ski Trail #1 / Long Path2.0 mi
Orange Trail1.9 mi
Red Trail1.8 mi
Border Trail1.3 mi
Loop 31.2 mi
Blue trail1.1 mi
Snowmobile Trail0.8 mi
Wood Duck Trail0.8 mi
12 more trails
Ski Trail #2
0.7 miSki Trail #4 / Long Path
0.6 miBlue Trail
0.6 miSki Trail
0.5 miBradt Hollow Loop
0.4 miInterpretive trail
0.4 miSki Trail #4/ Long Path
0.4 miYellow Trail
0.2 mitrail closed
0.1 miPurple Trail
0.1 miGreen trail
0.1 miwhite trail
0.1 miBiking & 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
3Baseball
2Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Berne: May, July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Berne →
Next door
Berne and its neighbors
Berne has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
New Scotland66 miBerne45 miKnox25 miRensselaerville21 miMiddleburgh19 miBroome18 miWesterlo4.6 miWright1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berne | 18% | 0.7 | 1,041 | 26% | A− |
| Middleburgh | 5% | 0.4 | 470 | 51% | B+ |
| New Scotland | 13% | 1.2 | 278 | 60% | A |
| Knox | 11% | 0.6 | 636 | 45% | A− |
| Broome | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rensselaerville | 14% | 0.3 | 2,241 | 35% | A− |
| Westerlo | 8% | 0.1 | 159 | 16% | B− |
| Wright | 3% | 0.1 | 246 | 2% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Berne
Where can I hike in Berne?
The longest trail networks: Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area, 18.1 miles; Cole Hill State Forest, 7.7 miles; Switzkill Farm, 4.3 miles; Partridge Run State Forest, 3.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Berne is conserved land?
18% 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 Berne’s trails?
Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area and Cole Hill State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Berne?
35,701 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Berne or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,373 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Berne have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #204 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 Berne 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 →