Covert Hollow Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
425 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Schoolhouse No. 5 · Photo: Vonsky87 · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hamden
Hamden has 432 acres of parks, 347 for every 1,000 residents
9% of Hamden’s land is conserved, about 3,294 acres. 17% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Hamden, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
3,294 acres · of 59.9 sq mi of land
Trails
4.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
432 ac
347 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,569 ft
Prospect Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Hamden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hamden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hamden is ahead of 53% 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 Hamden’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land347 acres of park per 1,000 residents (432 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home17% 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 53%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crystal Creek Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
209 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Carman Road Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
166 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Basin Clove Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
165 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Covert Hollow Unit425 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Crystal Creek Unit209 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Carman Road Unit166 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Basin Clove Unit165 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Fish Hollow Unit117 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Chambers Hollow Unit88 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Bagley Brook Unit86 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Launt Hollow Unit57 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Mundale Unit37 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Mallory Brook Unit35 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
MacDonald Road Unit29 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
East River Road Unit18 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Holmes Hollow Unit1 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Who protects it
3,294 conserved acres
9% of Hamden’s land. Who manages Hamden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,954 ac
State conservation1,832 ac
Town or city318 ac
Other Easement · 1,266 acAgricultural Easement · 993 acPrivate Conservation · 961 acRecreation or Education Easement · 566 acWatershed Protection Area · 267 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,519 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 44 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 500 | Open |
| West Branch Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 461 | Open |
| New York City Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 267 | Closed |
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Town of Hamden Land Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in Hamden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Hamden
Prospect Hill2,569 ft elevation
DirectionsDevils Backbone2,425 ft elevation
DirectionsFyffe Cobble2,372 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Cobble2,343 ft elevation
DirectionsHistory along the way
History →3 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hamden: 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) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hamden →
Next door
Hamden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamden | 9% | 0.1 | 347 | 17% | B− |
| Delhi | 12% | 0.2 | 43 | 59% | B+ |
| Walton | 11% | 0.3 | 48 | 55% | B+ |
| Colchester | 37% | 0.6 | 13,079 | 57% | A |
| Andes | 29% | 0.3 | 9,650 | 17% | A− |
| Franklin | 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 20% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hamden
How much of Hamden is conserved land?
9% 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 Hamden’s trails?
Covert Hollow Unit and Crystal Creek Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hamden?
35,668 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hamden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 432 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hamden have?
Ahead of 53% 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 Hamden 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 →