Rockwood State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
161 acres2.3 mi of trail
Spring Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ephratah
Ephratah has 2,097 acres of parks, 1,389 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Ephratah’s land is conserved, about 4,410 acres. The biggest trail networks: Rockwood State Forest (2.3 mi), Ferris Lake Wild Forest (1.4 mi). 25% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
4,410 acres · of 39.2 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,097 ac
1,389 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,142 ft
Bolster Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Ephratah?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ephratah have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ephratah is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. 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 Ephratah’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,389 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,097 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home25% 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 75%
LessMore
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 Rockwood State Forest, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ferris Lake Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
1,062 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Lassellsville State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
744 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Fulton Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
4,410 conserved acres
18% of Ephratah’s land. Who manages Ephratah’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts2,291 ac
State conservation1,979 ac
Town or city110 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits17 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)13 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 2,291 acState Conservation Area · 1,979 acLocal Park · 110 acPrivate Conservation · 17 acConservation Easement · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 13 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferris Lake Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,062 | Open |
| St Johnsville Water Works Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 873 | Unknown |
| Lassellsville State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 744 | Open |
| Fort Plain Water Works Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 715 | Unknown |
| Canajoharie Water Works Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 408 | Unknown |
| Canahoharie Water Works Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 294 | Unknown |
| Rockwood State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 161 | Open |
| Town Of Ephratah Land Local Park | Town or city | 110 | Unknown |
| Roman Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Closed |
| Fulton Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 13 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Ephratah
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Ephratah
Bolster Hill1,142 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.1 mi
Spring Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Ephratah: May 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ephratah →
Next door
Ephratah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephratah | 18% | 0.3 | 1,389 | 25% | B+ |
| Palatine | 1% | 0.1 | 60 | 52% | C+ |
| Johnstown | 17% | 0.6 | 1,100 | 49% | A |
| Stratford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Oppenheim | 9% | 0.2 | 1,225 | 28% | B+ |
| Caroga | 67% | 0.6 | 22,255 | 75% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ephratah
Where can I hike in Ephratah?
The longest trail networks: Rockwood State Forest, 2.3 miles; Ferris Lake Wild Forest, 1.4 miles; Lassellsville State Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ephratah is conserved land?
18% 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 Ephratah’s trails?
Rockwood State Forest and Ferris Lake Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ephratah?
70,141 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ephratah or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,097 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ephratah have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Ephratah 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 →