Watkins Glen State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
778 acres8.6 mi of trail
Finger Lakes / North Country TrailGorge TrailIndian Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen · Photo: Doug Kerr from now in Binghamton, NY · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dix
Dix has 1,567 acres of parks, 428 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Dix’s land is conserved, about 2,222 acres. The biggest trail networks: Watkins Glen State Park (8.6 mi), Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area (1.6 mi), Sugar Hill State Forest (1.6 mi). 17 miles of mapped trail cross Dix, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #206 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,222 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,567 ac
428 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi paths
Highest peak
1,713 ft
Baker Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dix?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dix have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dix is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #206 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 Dix’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land428 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,567 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home61% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 73%
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.
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 Watkins Glen State Park, with 8.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
368 acres1.6 mi of trail
Catharine Valley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Sugar Hill State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
362 acres1.6 mi of trail
Finger Lakes / North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Coon Hollow State Forest
Nature preserve
246 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Watkins Glen State Park778 acres · 8.6 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsCatharine Creek Wildlife Management Area368 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Sugar Hill State Forest362 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsHarbor Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCoon Hollow State Forest246 acres
LaFayette Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,222 conserved acres
10% of Dix’s land. Who manages Dix’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,087 ac
State parks810 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits197 ac
Other state land149 ac
Town or city18 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
County1 ac
State Park · 793 acState Conservation Area · 613 acState Resource Management Area · 473 acUnknown Easement · 187 acState Recreation Area · 165 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 187 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watkins Glen State Park State Park | State parks | 793 | Open |
| Catharine Creek Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 473 | Open |
| Sugar Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 365 | Open |
| Coon Hollow State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 249 | Open |
| Cayuga-Seneca Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 124 | Open |
| Marina Park State Recreation Area | Other state land | 25 | Open |
| Village of Watkins Glen Land Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Unknown |
| Catharine Valley Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 16 | Open |
| Gahada Gehn Yod Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Closed |
| Lafayette Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Dix
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Dix
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Dix
1 public pool without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Dix
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Dix
Aunt Sarah's Falls
DirectionsCentral CascadeIn Watkins Glen State Park
DirectionsRainbow FallsIn Watkins Glen State Park
DirectionsRainbow FallsIn Watkins Glen State Park
DirectionsPlus 4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Dix
Point LookoutIn Watkins Glen State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Dix
Baker Hill1,713 ft elevation
DirectionsWatkins Hill1,312 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dix
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Dix
Ebeneezer's Crossing Primitive Tent SiteIn Sugar Hill State Forest
DirectionsSix Nations CampgroundIn Watkins Glen State Park
DirectionsWatkins Glen Family Camping
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.8 miUnpaved · 8.6 mi
Finger Lakes / North Country Trail6.7 mi
Catharine Valley Trail1.3 mi
Gorge Trail0.9 mi
Indian Trail0.8 mi
Will Bypass0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Catharine Valley TrailBike route
1.3 miCourts & fields
6Tracks
4Tennis
4Basketball
4Baseball
1Skate park
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Schuyler County Courthouse ComplexBuilding · listed 1974
About itUS Post Office-Watkins GlenBuilding · listed 1989
About itA. F. Chapman HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itFirst Baptist Church of Watkins GlenBuilding · listed 2001
About itWatkins Glen Grand Prix Course, 1948-1952Structure · listed 2002
About itWatkins Glen Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012
About itSt. James Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2012
About itWatkins Glen High SchoolBuilding · listed 2015
About itCoon Family Log CabinBuilding · listed 2015
About itFirst Presbyterian Church of Watkins GlenBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
May is the best month for walking in Dix
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 | 35 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Dix →
Next door
Dix 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dix | 10% | 0.5 | 428 | 61% | A− |
| Reading | 6% | 0.2 | 671 | 24% | B |
| Watkins Glen | 22% | 2.6 | 99 | 98% | A+ |
| Montour | 4% | 0.4 | 68 | 74% | B+ |
| Hector | 19% | 0.5 | 188 | 12% | B+ |
| Orange | 39% | 1.3 | 11,111 | 72% | A+ |
| Catlin | 2% | under 0.1 | 252 | 39% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dix
Where can I hike in Dix?
The longest trail networks: Watkins Glen State Park, 8.6 miles; Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area, 1.6 miles; Sugar Hill State Forest, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dix is conserved land?
10% 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 Dix’s trails?
Watkins Glen State Park and Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dix?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Catharine Valley Trail.
Is there public land near Dix?
49,075 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dix or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,041 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dix have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #206 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 Dix 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 →