Catskill has 1,247 acres of parks, 110 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kaaterskill Wild Forest (9 mi), Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness (8.3 mi). 8% of Catskill’s land is conserved, about 2,996 acres. 30 miles of mapped trail cross Catskill, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #267 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
2,996 acres · of 60.4 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,247 ac
110 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,186 ft
North Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Catskill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Catskill is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #267 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 Catskill’s overall grade.
Water is 6% of Catskill’s area (4 of 64 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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.
8% of Catskill’s land. Water is left out: Catskill has 60.4 square miles of land and 3.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Catskill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation2,354 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,263 ac
Private owners131 ac
Town or city70 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)12 ac
State Wilderness · 1,302 acState Conservation Area · 792 acPrivate Conservation · 679 acPrivate Park · 464 acConservation Easement · 207 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness
State Wilderness
State conservation
1,302
Open
Kaaterskill Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
770
Open
Ramshorn-Livingston Sanctuary
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
727
Closed
Mawignack Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
286
Unknown
Kalin
Private Conservation
Private owners
131
Closed
Great Vly Wma
State Resource Management Area
State conservation
108
Open
Border Katerskill / Ns Lake Camp
State Resource Management Area
State conservation
54
Open
North/South Lake Campground
State Recreation Area
State conservation
53
Open
Seward'S Island
State Resource Management Area
State conservation
44
Open
Village of Catskill Land
Local Park
Town or city
33
Unknown
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Catskill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Catskill
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Tennis
3Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
18 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Catskill: April, May and July
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
15.2
15.0
13.9
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.1
High (°F)
34
37
46
60
71
79
84
82
74
62
50
39
Rain (in)
2.9
2.7
3.3
3.5
3.6
4.4
3.9
4.3
4.3
4.5
3.2
3.6
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Catskill →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Catskill
Where can I hike in Catskill?
The longest trail networks: Kaaterskill Wild Forest, 9 miles; Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness, 8.3 miles; Dutchman's Landing Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Catskill 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 Catskill’s trails?
Kaaterskill Wild Forest and Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Catskill?
66,778 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Catskill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,740 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Catskill have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #267 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 Catskill neighbors.
Thomas Cole House · Photo: Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0