Beals Pond State Forest
Nature preserve
1,101 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Masonville
Masonville has 7,442 acres of parks, 6,511 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Masonville’s land is conserved, about 7,932 acres. The biggest trail networks: Beals Pond State Forest (4.9 mi), Arctic China State Forest (4 mi), Steam Mill State Forest (1.8 mi). 36% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
7,932 acres · of 54.3 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,442 ac
6,511 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,103 ft
Couse Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Masonville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Masonville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Masonville is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. 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 Masonville’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land6,511 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7,442 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home36% 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 81%
LessMore
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 Beals Pond State Forest, with 4.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arctic China State Forest
Nature preserve
1,799 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Steam Mill State Forest
Nature preserve
3,161 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Oquaga Creek State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
231 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pine Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
1,079 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Beals Pond State Forest1,101 acres · 4.9 mi of trail
DirectionsArctic China State Forest1,799 acres · 4 mi of trail
Steam Mill State Forest3,161 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
Oquaga Creek State Park231 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsPine Hill State Forest1,079 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Herrick Hill Unit202 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Couse Hill Unit196 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
West Masonville Unit192 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
East Masonville Unit136 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Herrick Hollow Unit3 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Melondy Hill State Forest1 acres
Who protects it
7,932 conserved acres
23% of Masonville’s land. Who manages Masonville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation7,700 ac
State parks351 ac
Town or city1 ac
State Conservation Area · 7,170 acOther Easement · 530 acState Park · 351 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 530 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Mill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 3,173 | Open |
| Arctic China State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,806 | Open |
| Beals Pond State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,106 | Open |
| Pine Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,083 | Open |
| Oquaga Creek State Park State Park | State parks | 351 | Open |
| Melondy Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 2 | Open |
| Village Of Sidney Land Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in Masonville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Masonville
Couse Hill2,103 ft elevation
DirectionsBurnside Hill2,044 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill2,008 ft elevation · In Pine Hill State Forest
DirectionsSidney Mountain1,870 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Masonville: 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Masonville →
Next door
Masonville and its neighbors
Masonville has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masonville | 23% | 0.4 | 6,511 | 36% | A− |
| Sidney | 2% | 0.1 | 126 | 75% | B |
| Sanford | 11% | 0.1 | 2,746 | 49% | B+ |
| Tompkins | 26% | 0.3 | 3,035 | 10% | B+ |
| Deposit | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bainbridge | 2% | 0.2 | 149 | 52% | B |
| Afton | 13% | 0.1 | 1,449 | 44% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Masonville
Where can I hike in Masonville?
The longest trail networks: Beals Pond State Forest, 4.9 miles; Arctic China State Forest, 4 miles; Steam Mill State Forest, 1.8 miles; Oquaga Creek State Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Masonville is conserved land?
23% 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 Masonville’s trails?
Beals Pond State Forest and Arctic China State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Masonville?
27,933 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Masonville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,442 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Masonville have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Masonville 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 →