Photo: Tyler A. McNeil · CC BY-SA 4.08% of Colonie’s land is conserved: 164 acres
The biggest trail networks: Cook Park (1.2 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Colonie, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #213 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Colonie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Colonie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Colonie is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #213 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cook Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Colonie Open Space
Stump Pond Open Space
164 conserved acres
8% of Colonie’s land. Who manages Colonie’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 1 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonie, Village of Land Local Park | Town or city | 114 | Unknown |
| Cook Park Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Bauer Environmental Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Albany Pine Bush Preserve State Conservation Area | State conservation | 40 | Open |
| Colonie Town Lands Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
7 places to go in Colonie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail
0.0 miles of bike routes
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 best walking months in Colonie: May, 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Colonie →
Colonie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonie | 8% | 0.7 | 18 | 90% | A− |
| Roessleville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Guilderland | 10% | 0.8 | 46 | 67% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Colonie
Where can I hike in Colonie?
The longest trail networks: Cook Park, 1.2 miles; Albany Pine Bush Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Colonie 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 Colonie’s trails?
Cook Park and Albany Pine Bush Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Colonie?
15,782 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Colonie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 140 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Colonie have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #213 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 Colonie neighbors.
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 →