100 Acre Woods
Managed by Luther Forest Technology Campus
123 acres2.7 mi of trail
Blue TrailPurple TrailRed TrailOrange Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Peter Flass · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Malta
Malta has 886 acres of parks, 51 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Malta’s land is conserved, about 1,736 acres. The biggest trail networks: 100 Acre Woods (2.7 mi), Shenantaha Creek Park (1 mi), Malta Ecological Park (0.8 mi). 17 miles of mapped trail cross Malta, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #232 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,736 acres · of 27.9 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
886 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
10 mi paths
Highest peak
276 ft
Pelton Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Malta?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Malta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Malta is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #232 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Malta’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (886 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home62% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 79%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 69%
Water is 11% of Malta’s area (4 of 31 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 100 Acre Woods, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Malta Ecological Park
Managed by Town of Malta
187 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Malta Nature Preserve
Managed by Town of Malta, NY
114 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
100 Acre Woods123 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Luther Forest Technology Campus
DirectionsShenantaha Creek Park53 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsMalta Ecological Park187 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Malta
DirectionsMalta Nature Preserve114 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Malta, NY
Malta Community Park20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSaratoga Spa State Park210 acres · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsRound Lake Preserve54 acres · Saratoga PLAN
DirectionsDominick F Pasquarell Park9 acres
DirectionsRound Lake Park2 acres
DirectionsObservation Pointe at Mangino's2 acres · Town of Malta
DirectionsCollamer Park2 acres
Who protects it
1,736 conserved acres
10% of Malta’s land. Water is left out: Malta has 27.9 square miles of land and 3.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Malta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city826 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits481 ac
Other state land440 ac
State parks213 ac
Private owners13 ac
Regional Water Districts10 ac
Not recorded138 ac
Local Park · 639 acState Resource Management Area · 440 acConservation Easement · 249 acPrivate Conservation · 231 acState Park · 213 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 201 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Malta Land Local Park | Town or city | 544 | Unknown |
| New York State Energy Research and Development Au* State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 440 | Open |
| Saratoga PLAN Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 231 | Closed |
| Saratoga Spa State Park State Park | State parks | 213 | Open |
| Malta Ecological Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 186 | Open |
| Village Of Round Lake Land Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Unknown |
| Private Lands Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 13 | Closed |
| Dominick Pasquacell Recreation Field Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Northwoods Water Lands Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Malta
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Malta
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Malta
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Malta
Round Lake State Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Malta
Pelton Hill276 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Malta
Malta Community GardenFee · Town of Malta
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.2 miUnpaved · 12.4 mi
Main Loop1.4 mi
Chain Whip1.2 mi
The New Old1.1 mi
Twists N' Turns1.0 mi
The B Side0.8 mi
Purple Trail0.6 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
White Trail0.5 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Travers Meadows Walking Trail0.4 mi
5 more trails
Orange Trail
0.3 miYellow Trail
0.2 miLogging Trail
0.1 miHighpointe Walking Trail
0.1 miGreen Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
8Tennis
5Basketball
1Volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Malta: May, August 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 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Malta →
Next door
Malta and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clifton Park55 miSaratoga Springs35 miMalta17 miStillwater13 miHalfmoon12 miBallston6.4 miSaratoga5.3 miCountry Knolls5.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | 10% | 0.6 | 51 | 62% | A− |
| Saratoga Springs | 20% | 1.3 | 85 | 82% | A |
| Stillwater | 16% | 0.3 | 20 | 62% | B+ |
| Halfmoon | 3% | 0.4 | 22 | 91% | B+ |
| Clifton Park | 11% | 1.1 | 66 | 96% | A |
| Saratoga | 5% | 0.1 | 20 | 49% | B− |
| Ballston | 4% | 0.2 | 30 | 56% | B |
| Country Knolls | — 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 Malta
Where can I hike in Malta?
The longest trail networks: 100 Acre Woods, 2.7 miles; Shenantaha Creek Park, 1 miles; Malta Ecological Park, 0.8 miles; Malta Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Malta 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 Malta’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Malta Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Malta?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Malta?
16,575 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Malta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,333 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Malta have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #232 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 Malta 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 →