Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
55 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Canandaigua
8% of Canandaigua’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. 4.6 miles of mapped trail cross Canandaigua, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #122 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
230 acres · of 4.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.6 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
181 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Canandaigua?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canandaigua have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canandaigua is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Canandaigua’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (181 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13BParks 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 90%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 84%
Water is 6% of Canandaigua’s area (0 of 5 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 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 Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sonnenberg Park
Managed by City of Canandaigua
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Frank Baker Park
Managed by City of Canandaigua
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park55 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsSonnenberg Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Canandaigua
DirectionsLakefront Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGibson St Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Frank Baker Park22 acres · City of Canandaigua
DirectionsKershaw Park9 acres
DirectionsJefferson Park6 acres
DirectionsCanandaigua City Pier4 acres
Who protects it
230 conserved acres
8% of Canandaigua’s land. Water is left out: Canandaigua has 4.6 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Canandaigua’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city212 ac
State parks68 ac
Regional agency38 ac
Other state land13 ac
County2 ac
Local Park · 214 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 55 acLocal Other or Unknown · 38 acState Other or Unknown · 13 acState Recreation Area · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canandaigua City of Land Local Park | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 55 | Open |
| Cdga City School District Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 38 | Unknown |
| Lagoon Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Baker Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Atwater Meadows Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Nys Boat Launch State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 13 | Open |
| Canandaigua Lake Marine Park State Recreation Area | State parks | 13 | Open |
| Jefferson Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Kershaw Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Canandaigua
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Canandaigua
Kershaw Beach
DirectionsKershaw Park Small Marine Craft Launch AreaIn Kershaw Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Canandaigua
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Canandaigua
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 0.5 mi
Ontario Pathways Rail Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & 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.
Ontario Pathways Rail Trail CyclingBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
19Tennis
8Pickleball
7Baseball
6Multi-sport
4Basketball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
North Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itSonnenberg GardensDistrict · listed 1973
About itAdelaide Avenue SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About itBenham HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itBuilding at 426 South Main StreetBuilding · listed 1984
About itCanandaigua Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itCobblestone ManorBuilding · listed 1984
About itFrancis Granger HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itMarshall HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itSaltonstall Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About itThaddeus Chapin HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itBrigham HallBuilding · listed 1984
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Canandaigua: May, August 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Canandaigua →
Questions about parks and trails in Canandaigua
Where can I hike in Canandaigua?
The longest trail networks: Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, 0.8 miles; Sonnenberg Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canandaigua is conserved land?
8% 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 Canandaigua’s trails?
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park and Sonnenberg Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Canandaigua?
3,661 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canandaigua or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 194 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Canandaigua have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Canandaigua 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 →