Bolton has 15,004 acres of parks, 7,376 for every 1,000 residents
38% of Bolton’s land is conserved, about 15,596 acres. 72 miles of mapped trail cross Bolton, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest (25.6 mi), Cat & Thomas Mountains Forest Preserve (15.5 mi), Amy's Park (4.5 mi).
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bolton is ahead of 91% 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 Bolton’s overall grade.
Water is 27% of Bolton’s area (24 of 87 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 28%.
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.
38% of Bolton’s land. Water is left out: Bolton has 63.6 square miles of land and 23.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bolton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation18,575 ac
Regional Water Districts210 ac
County97 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits68 ac
Town or city9 ac
State Conservation Area · 16,571 acForest Stewardship Easement · 910 acUnknown Easement · 904 acLocal Other or Unknown · 210 acState Recreation Area · 189 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 919 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 22 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Lake George Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
14,044
Open
State Conservation Area
State Conservation Area
State conservation
2,453
Restricted
Lake George Islands Campground
State Conservation Area
State conservation
260
Open
Bolton Water District Land
Local Other or Unknown
Regional Water Districts
210
Unknown
County of Warren Land
Local Park
County
96
Unknown
Lake George Land Conservancy Lands
Private Other or Unknown
Land trusts & nonprofits
37
Closed
Dome Island Memorial Sanctuary
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
31
Closed
Town of Bolton, Rogers Park Land
Local Park
Town or city
4
Unknown
Town of Bolton, Veterans Park Land
Local Park
Town or city
4
Unknown
Greene Island Maintenance Facility
State Conservation Area
State conservation
2
Restricted
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
132 places to go in Bolton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bolton
22 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Bolton
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Bolton
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
20Tennis
5Basketball
2Baseball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
4 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.
The best walking months in Bolton: May 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)
9.3
10.4
11.8
13.4
14.7
15.4
15.1
14.0
12.4
10.9
9.6
9.0
High (°F)
30
33
43
57
70
78
82
80
72
60
47
36
Rain (in)
2.9
2.6
3.3
3.6
3.5
4.1
4.0
3.8
3.6
3.9
3.3
3.5
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bolton →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bolton
Where can I hike in Bolton?
The longest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest, 25.6 miles; Cat & Thomas Mountains Forest Preserve, 15.5 miles; Amy's Park, 4.5 miles; The Pinnacle, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bolton is conserved land?
38% 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 Bolton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Lake George Wild Forest and The Pinnacle. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bolton?
122,521 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bolton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15,004 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bolton have?
Ahead of 91% 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 Bolton neighbors.
Photo: Novis-M · Public domain