Photo: Stilfehler 19:28, 9 July 2007 (CEST) · CC BY-SA 1.07% of Elmira’s land is conserved: 324 acres
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Eldridge Park (0.7 mi), Brand Park (0.5 mi). 3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Elmira, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #332 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Elmira?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Elmira have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elmira is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #332 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
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 Eldridge Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brand Park
All 21 parks & preserves
324 conserved acres
7% of Elmira’s land. Who manages Elmira’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Elmira Land Local Park | Town or city | 229 | Unknown |
| Eldridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Elmira City School Dist Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 41 | Unknown |
| Elmira State Psychiatric Center State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 17 | Open |
| Brick Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Brand Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Mckinnon Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Pulaski Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Quatrano Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
31 places to go in Elmira
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 7 lakes & rivers
5.0 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.
30 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
18 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Elmira: May and August
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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 45 | 58 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Elmira →
Elmira and its neighbors
Elmira has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmira | 7% | 0.5 | 10 | 94% | B+ |
| Southport | under 1% | under 0.1 | 9 | 62% | C− |
| West Elmira | — 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.
Questions about parks and trails in Elmira
Where can I hike in Elmira?
The longest trail networks: Eldridge Park, 0.7 miles; Brand Park, 0.5 miles; Grove Park, 0.3 miles; Wisner Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elmira is conserved land?
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.
Are dogs allowed on Elmira’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Wisner Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Elmira?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 3.7 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Elmira?
5,333 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elmira or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 279 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Elmira have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #332 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 Elmira 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 →