Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Novis-M · Public domain67 miles of mapped trail cross Chester, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest (8 mi), Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest (4.6 mi). 7% of Chester’s land is conserved, about 4,000 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #238 of 758 in New York. 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, Chester is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #238 of 758 in New York. 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 Lake George Wild Forest, with 8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
7% of Chester’s land. Who manages Chester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 446 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake George Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,614 | Open |
| Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,492 | Open |
| State Conservation Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 771 | Restricted |
| Moxham Mountain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 232 | Restricted |
| Scaroon Manor Campground State Recreation Area | State conservation | 141 | Open |
| Town of Chester Land Local Park | Town or city | 128 | Unknown |
| Hudson River Ice Meadows Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 85 | Open |
| Hudson River Ice Meadows Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 85 | Restricted |
| Finch Pruyn State Conservation Area | State conservation | 67 | Restricted |
| Jenks Swamp Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Plus 11 scenic views without a name on the map.
Plus 3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
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.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Chester →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 7% | 0.8 | 1,113 | 34% | A− |
| Horicon | 32% | 0.4 | 4,454 | 44% | A |
| Johnsburg | 61% | 0.7 | 15,018 | 54% | A |
| Pottersville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Thurman | 51% | 0.4 | 29,560 | 24% | A− |
| Warrensburg | 23% | 1.1 | 1,803 | 83% | A+ |
| Minerva | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Creek | — 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.
The longest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest, 8 miles; Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
7% 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.
Lake George Wild Forest and Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
249,004 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,421 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #238 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Chester 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 →