Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The biggest trail networks: Boutwell Hill State Forest (17.7 mi). 9% of Charlotte’s land is conserved, about 2,132 acres. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Charlotte, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
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, Charlotte is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Boutwell Hill State Forest, with 17.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
9% of Charlotte’s land. Who manages Charlotte’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boutwell Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 2,000 | Open |
| Chautauqua County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 89 | Restricted |
| Sinclairvll Water Wks Lands Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 24 | Open |
| Town Of Charlotte Land Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Unknown |
| Village of Sinclairville Land Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Unknown |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground 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.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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) | 30 | 32 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Charlotte →
Charlotte has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 9% | 0.5 | 1,370 | 38% | A− |
| Gerry | 15% | 0.7 | 1,689 | 37% | A− |
| Arkwright | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cherry Creek | 7% | 0.4 | 901 | 54% | B+ |
| Stockton | 4% | 0.1 | 518 | 46% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Boutwell Hill State Forest, 17.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
9% 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.
Boutwell Hill State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
12,837 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlotte or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,057 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 77% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Charlotte neighbors.
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 →