Mohonk Preserve
Nature preserve
1,812 acres18.1 mi of trail
Trapps TrailMillbrook Ridge TrailCoxing TrailOld Minnewaska Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Route 44/55 OverlookWebsite ↗
Photo: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Gardiner
Gardiner has 2,947 acres of parks, 522 for every 1,000 residents
19% of Gardiner’s land is conserved, about 5,354 acres. 44 miles of mapped trail cross Gardiner, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Mohonk Preserve (18.1 mi), Minnewaska State Park Preserve (10.8 mi), Shawangunk Multiple Use Area (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #144 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
5,354 acres · of 43.4 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,947 ac
522 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
5.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Gardiner?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam522 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild19% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.A trail town1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 80% of U.S. towns.History along the way14 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gardiner have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gardiner is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #144 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 Gardiner’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land522 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,947 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home43% 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 88%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 81%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Mohonk Preserve, with 18.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
2,712 acres10.8 mi of trail
Awosting Reserve Loop (Purple)Awosting Reserve Access (Brown)Mud Pond Trail (Yellow)Tilson Lake Footpath+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Shawangunk Multiple Use Area
Park
59 acres1.9 mi of trail
Blue TrailFoothills TrailFoothills Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground
Park
44 acres0.6 mi of trail
Walk-In Campsites
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Mohonk Preserve1,812 acres · 18.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMinnewaska State Park Preserve2,712 acres · 10.8 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsShawangunk Multiple Use Area59 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSamuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground44 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMillbrook Cliff Conservancy99 acres · Millbrook Cliff Conservancy
DirectionsOpen Space Conservancy85 acres · Open Space Conservancy
DirectionsMajestic Park7 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,354 conserved acres
19% of Gardiner’s land. Who manages Gardiner’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,774 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,729 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)211 ac
Town or city166 ac
State conservation60 ac
Other state land2 ac
Not recorded1,763 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,774 acPrivate Conservation · 1,814 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 1,763 acAgricultural Easement · 395 acUnknown Easement · 305 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 563 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 20 of 47 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohonk Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3,573 | Restricted |
| Minnewaska State Park Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 2,774 | Open |
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 95 | Open |
| Town of Gardiner Land Local Park | Town or city | 71 | Unknown |
| Shawangunk Multiple Use Area State Recreation Area | State conservation | 60 | Open |
| Huguenot Historical Society Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 19 | Closed |
| Palisades Interstate Park State Park | Other state land | 2 | Open |
| Open Space Institute Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Open |
| Trapps Gateway Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Closed |
Things to do
32 places to go in Gardiner
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Gardiner
Boo Boo Lagoon
DirectionsCindy Bear Oasis
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Gardiner
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Gardiner
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Gardiner
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Gardiner
Echo RockIn Minnewaska State Park Preserve
DirectionsHamilton PointIn Minnewaska State Park Preserve
DirectionsHawkwatchIn Mohonk Preserve
DirectionsHigh ExposureIn Mohonk Preserve
DirectionsOverlookIn Mohonk Preserve
DirectionsPlus 12 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Gardiner
Hades HillIn Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground
DirectionsPicnic areas in Gardiner
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Gardiner
Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway CampgroundAmerican Alpine Club
DirectionsYogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Lazy River
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 15.4 miHorses · 8.7 miUnpaved · 19.7 mi
Awosting Reserve Loop (Purple)3.0 mi
Trapps Trail2.4 mi
Millbrook Ridge Trail2.0 mi
Awosting Reserve Access (Brown)1.7 mi
Coxing Trail1.1 mi
Old Minnewaska Trail1.0 mi
Mud Pond Trail (Yellow)0.9 mi
High Peter's Kill Trail0.8 mi
Blue Trail0.8 mi
Trapps Hamlet Path0.7 mi
15 more trails
Near Trapps access trail
0.7 miField Mouse Loop
0.6 miDickie Barre Trail
0.6 miCliff base trail
0.6 miShongum Path
0.6 miTilson Lake Footpath
0.6 miDeer Run
0.6 miTilson Lake Connector Trail
0.6 miFoothills Trail
0.5 miWalk-In Campsites
0.4 miBirder Loop
0.4 miFoothills Loop
0.4 miEnderly's Path
0.4 miCoxing Kill
0.3 miCoyote Pass
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Equestrian
5Tennis
2Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Locust Lawn EstateDistrict · listed 1974
About itTuthilltown GristmillBuilding · listed 1982
About itHendrikus DuBoris HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itBevier HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itBrykillBuilding · listed 1983
About itPeter Aldrich HomesteadBuilding · listed 1983
About itPoughkeepsie Meeting House (Hooker Avenue)Building · listed 1989
About itJohn A. Lafevre House and SchoolBuilding · listed 1989
About itGuilford-Bower Farm HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itTrapps Mountain Hamlet Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itGardiner SchoolBuilding · listed 2000
About itJenkins-DuBois Farm and Mill SiteDistrict · listed 2001
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gardiner: April, May, July 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Gardiner →
Next door
Gardiner 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner | 19% | 1.0 | 522 | 43% | A |
| Rochester | 31% | 0.9 | 2,047 | 26% | A |
| New Paltz | 17% | 1.6 | 38 | 71% | A |
| Shawangunk | 11% | 0.3 | 147 | 34% | B+ |
| Plattekill | 1% | 0.2 | 21 | 13% | C |
| Wawarsing | 28% | 0.8 | 1,628 | 70% | A |
| Lloyd | 9% | 0.4 | 121 | 67% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gardiner
Where can I hike in Gardiner?
The longest trail networks: Mohonk Preserve, 18.1 miles; Minnewaska State Park Preserve, 10.8 miles; Shawangunk Multiple Use Area, 1.9 miles; Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gardiner is conserved land?
19% 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 Gardiner’s trails?
Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gardiner?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Gardiner?
44,404 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gardiner or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,947 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gardiner have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 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 Gardiner 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 →