Union Station · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Ghent has 243 acres of parks, 46 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Ghent’s land is conserved, about 2,845 acres. The biggest trail networks: Art Omi (5.2 mi). 54% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #379 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Ghent?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Ghent have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ghent is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #379 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls 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 Art Omi, with 5.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
2,845 conserved acres
10% of Ghent’s land. Who manages Ghent’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,650 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 50 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Land Conservancy Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 143 | Closed |
| Bordens Pond Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 58 | Closed |
| Siegel Kline Kill Conservation Area Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 54 | Closed |
| Village Of Chatham Land Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Unknown |
| Town of Ghent Land Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Unknown |
| Village Of Chatham reservoir Land Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Unknown |
10 places to go in Ghent
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
10 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
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.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Ghent: April and May
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) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ghent →
Ghent and its neighbors
Ghent has the second most mapped trails of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghent | 10% | 0.2 | 46 | 54% | B+ |
| Claverack | 10% | 0.2 | 61 | 35% | B |
| Kinderhook | 7% | 0.3 | 47 | 61% | B+ |
| Austerlitz | 19% | 0.5 | 2,098 | 34% | A− |
| Chatham | 6% | 0.1 | 28 | 21% | B− |
| Stockport | 29% | 0.1 | 331 | 60% | A− |
| Hillsdale | 7% | 0.1 | 37 | 14% | C+ |
| Stottville | — 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 Ghent
Where can I hike in Ghent?
The longest trail networks: Art Omi, 5.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ghent 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 Ghent’s trails?
Art Omi and Harlem Valley Rail Trail don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ghent?
19,820 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ghent or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 243 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ghent have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #379 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 Ghent 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 →