Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
Nature preserve
1,674 acres2.4 mi of trail
Bouchoux Trail (Jensen Ledges Trail)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Hancock
Hancock has 2,786 acres of parks, 1,006 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel (2.4 mi), Tomannex State Forest (2.1 mi). 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Hancock’s land is conserved, about 2,877 acres.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #436 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
2,877 acres · of 159.0 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,786 ac
1,006 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,293 ft
Twadell Mountain
Lakes & rivers
14
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Hancock?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hancock have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hancock is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #436 of 758 in New York. 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 Hancock’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,006 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,786 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home40% 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 61%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 43%
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
The longest trail network is Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tomannex State Forest
Nature preserve
1,004 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
East Branch Delaware River Waterway Access
Park
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Partridge Island Walking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel1,674 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
Tomannex State Forest1,004 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
East Branch Delaware River Waterway Access10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRobert W Nichol Nature Preserve and Science Center3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHancock Town Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area36 acres
Baxter Brook Unit7 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Kerryville State Forest3 acres
Tompkins Forest Preserve Detached Parcel2 acres
Who protects it
2,877 conserved acres
3% of Hancock’s land. Who manages Hancock’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation2,828 ac
Town or city41 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits8 ac
Regional Water Districts1 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,705 acState Resource Management Area · 111 acLocal Resource Management Area · 38 acState Recreation Area · 11 acUnknown Easement · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,688 | Open |
| Tomannex State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,012 | Open |
| State Reforestation Area State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 75 | Open |
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Bear Spring Mountain Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 36 | Open |
| East Branch Delaware River Waterway Access State Recreation Area | State conservation | 11 | Open |
| Village of Hancock Land Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Unknown |
| Kerryville State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 4 | Open |
| Tompkins Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 2 | Open |
| Fishs Eddy Community Lands Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 1 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Hancock
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hancock
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Hancock
Hancock Hounds Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Hancock
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Hancock
Jensen Cascade
DirectionsScenic views in Hancock
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hancock
Twadell Mountain2,293 ft elevation
DirectionsBittersweet Hill2,228 ft elevation
DirectionsBig Fork Mountain2,182 ft elevation
DirectionsElm Tree Ridge2,149 ft elevation
DirectionsHawk Mountain2,067 ft elevation
DirectionsJohnny Ridge1,952 ft elevation
DirectionsCoon Hill1,890 ft elevation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill1,847 ft elevation
Directions6 more peaks
Taylor Hill1,847 ft elevation
DirectionsBouchoux Hill1,765 ft elevation · In Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
DirectionsMcCoys Knob1,699 ft elevation
DirectionsJensen Hill1,683 ft elevation · In Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
DirectionsPoint Mountain1,381 ft elevation
DirectionsJehu Mountain
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hancock
French Woods Performing Arts Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miHorses · 2.9 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
Bouchoux Trail (Jensen Ledges Trail)2.9 mi
Partridge Island Walking Trail1.0 mi
Mountain Pass0.3 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
18Tennis
8Baseball
3Basketball
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Hancock: May and July to 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hancock →
Next door
Hancock and its neighbors
Hancock has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Colchester78 miHancock46 miTompkins33 miManchester Township23 miScott Township10 miBuckingham Township6.4 miFremont4.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | 3% | 0.3 | 1,006 | 40% | B |
| Colchester | 37% | 0.6 | 13,079 | 57% | A |
| Fremont | 2% | 0.1 | 427 | 12% | C+ |
| Tompkins | 26% | 0.3 | 3,035 | 10% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hancock
Where can I hike in Hancock?
The longest trail networks: Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel, 2.4 miles; Tomannex State Forest, 2.1 miles; East Branch Delaware River Waterway Access, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hancock is conserved land?
3% 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 Hancock’s trails?
Hancock Forest Preserve Detached Parcel and Tomannex State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hancock?
51,214 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hancock or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,897 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hancock have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #436 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 Hancock 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 →