Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area
Nature preserve
544 acres5 mi of trail
Holcomb Pond TrailHolcomb Pond LoopRoss Pond Loop
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Collins
Collins has 573 acres of parks, 123 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area (5 mi), Zoar Valley Unique Area (2.3 mi). 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Collins’ land is conserved, about 1,538 acres.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #440 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,538 acres · of 48.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
573 ac
123 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Collins?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Collins have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Collins is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #440 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Collins’ overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land123 acres of park per 1,000 residents (573 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home32% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 60%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 42%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Zoar Valley Unique Area
Nature preserve
512 acres2.3 mi of trail
Holcomb Pond TrailHogsback Ridge
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
East Otto State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Creekside Park
Managed by Village of Gowanda
4 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,538 conserved acres
5% of Collins’ land. Who manages Collins’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,080 ac
Other state land300 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits213 ac
Town or city27 ac
County21 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
State Resource Management Area · 843 acState Conservation Area · 537 acPrivate Conservation · 207 acLocal Park · 30 acLocal Conservation Area · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 543 | Open |
| Zoar Valley Unique Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 515 | Open |
| Collins State Correctional Facility State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 300 | Open |
| Stony Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 207 | Closed |
| East Otto State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 22 | Open |
| Erie County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 21 | Restricted |
| Town of Collins Land Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Unknown |
| Village of Gowanda Land Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Unknown |
| Town Playground Land Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Unknown |
| Vfw Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Collins
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Collins
Zoar Valley Naturist AreaIn Zoar Valley Unique Area
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Collins
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Collins
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Collins
3 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Collins
Perverts' PointIn Zoar Valley Unique Area
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Collins
2 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.2 mi
Holcomb Pond Trail1.5 mi
Holcomb Pond Loop0.6 mi
Ross Pond Loop0.6 mi
Hogsback Ridge0.1 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.
Courts & fields
10Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Collins: May, June, 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Collins →
Next door
Collins 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collins | 5% | 0.3 | 123 | 32% | B |
| Otto | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Persia | 8% | 0.5 | 481 | 88% | A |
| East Otto | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Gowanda | 3% | 0.9 | 20 | 99%+ | A− |
| North Collins | 4% | 0.2 | 136 | 46% | B |
| Concord | 3% | 0.3 | 84 | 58% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Collins
Where can I hike in Collins?
The longest trail networks: Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, 5 miles; Zoar Valley Unique Area, 2.3 miles; Creekside Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Collins is conserved land?
5% 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 Collins’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Collins?
10,432 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Collins or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,415 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Collins have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #440 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 Collins 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 →