Lockwood Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
483 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Former Wikipedia user Wikilagata (C.C. Sabathia) · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Carmel
13% of Carmel’s land is conserved: 3,031 acres
1,253 acres are parks and preserves, 37 per 1,000 residents. 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Carmel, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #182 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,031 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,253 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
46 mi
9.2 mi paths
Highest peak
958 ft
Hitchcock Hill
Lakes & rivers
20
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Carmel?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carmel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carmel is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #182 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carmel’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,253 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home86% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 76%
Water is 12% of Carmel’s area (5 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dixon Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
237 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
West Branch Outlet Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
166 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Muscoot River Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
64 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
Mahopac Chamber of Commerce Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCroton Falls Outlet Unit37 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Lockwood Unit483 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Dixon Unit237 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
West Branch Outlet Unit166 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Muscoot River Unit64 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Hickory Nut Hill Unit52 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Long Pond Unit31 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park30 acres · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Mahopac Airport Park23 acres
Carver Hill Unit19 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Sycamore Park13 acres
DirectionsCrane Road10 acres
DirectionsCamarda Park10 acres
Baldwin Meadows Park5 acres
DirectionsLake Casse Beach1 acres
Who protects it
3,031 conserved acres
13% of Carmel’s land. Water is left out: Carmel has 35.9 square miles of land and 4.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Carmel’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,336 ac
State conservation877 ac
County474 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government37 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
State parks30 ac
Regional Water Districts26 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,331 acOther Easement · 877 acLocal Resource Management Area · 687 acLocal Park · 628 acLocal Recreation Area · 173 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 391 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 631 | Open |
| Croton Falls Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 526 | Unknown |
| Lockwood Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 446 | Unknown |
| County Of Putnam Land Local Park | County | 299 | Unknown |
| Town Of Carmel Land Local Park | Town or city | 217 | Unknown |
| West Branch Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 217 | Unknown |
| Fred Dill Wildlife Sanctuary Local Recreation Area | County | 173 | Open |
| Lake Gilead Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 61 | Unknown |
| Lake Gleneida Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 49 | Unknown |
| New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection 1 Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 40 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Carmel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Carmel
Mahopac Hills Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Carmel
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Carmel
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Carmel
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Carmel
Access Point
DirectionsPeaks in Carmel
Hitchcock Hill958 ft elevation
DirectionsSenior Hill958 ft elevation
DirectionsWatermelon Hill951 ft elevation
DirectionsTurkey Hill902 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Pisgah755 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 20 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Lake Gleneida Walking Trail0.6 mi
Leaf Trail0.5 mi
Squirrel Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Birch Trail0.3 mi
yellow (duck trail)0.3 mi
brown (Squirrel Trail) (guess)0.3 mi
yellow trail0.3 mi
Fishing Access Trail0.2 mi
orange (turtle) (guess)0.2 mi
orange (turtle)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Croton Falls ReservoirDixon LakeGlencoma LakereservoirKirk LakelakeLake BaldwinLake CasseLake GileadLake GleneidareservoirLake MahopacLake OssiLockwood PondLong PondMud PondSecor LakeTeakettle Spout LakereservoirWest Branch ReservoirreservoirWixon PondMiddle Branch Croton RiverMuscoot RiverWest Branch Croton River
Biking & sports
46 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.2 mi
off-road bike paths
37 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
15Tennis
11Baseball
7Soccer
3Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Carmel: April 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Carmel →
Next door
Carmel and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel | 13% | 0.5 | 37 | 86% | A− |
| Putnam Valley | 39% | 1.7 | 607 | 85% | A+ |
| Southeast | 11% | 0.6 | 70 | 87% | A |
| Kent | 39% | 1.7 | 409 | 83% | A+ |
| Somers | 18% | 1.5 | 92 | 65% | A |
| Mahopac | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lake Carmel | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carmel
How much of Carmel is conserved land?
13% 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 Carmel’s trails?
Lockwood Unit and Dixon Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carmel?
46 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.2 of off-road paths and 37 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Carmel?
60,548 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carmel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,253 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carmel have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #182 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 Carmel 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 →