Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands)
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
2,487 acres4.6 mi of trail
Barnhart Isle
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gary Stevens · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Massena
Massena has 2,868 acres of parks, 233 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Massena’s land is conserved, about 3,022 acres. The biggest trail networks: Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands) (4.6 mi). 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #169 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,022 acres · of 44.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,868 ac
233 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Massena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Massena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Massena is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #169 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Massena’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land233 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,868 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home81% 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 86%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 78%
Water is 21% of Massena’s area (12 of 56 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands), with 4.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Indian Meadows Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
Nature preserve
40 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Alcoa Park
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands)2,487 acres · 4.6 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsMassena Springs Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWooden Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeteran Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Indian Meadows Forest Preserve Detached Parcel40 acres
Alcoa Park12 acres
East Orvis Street Park8 acres
Firework Observation1 acres
DirectionsElm Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,022 conserved acres
11% of Massena’s land. Water is left out: Massena has 44.3 square miles of land and 11.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Massena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,697 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)186 ac
Town or city117 ac
State conservation44 ac
American Indian Lands6 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government3 ac
State Park · 2,697 acConservation Easement · 186 acLocal Park · 120 acState Conservation Area · 44 acNative American Land Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 186 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Moses State Park State Park | State parks | 2,697 | Open |
| Village Of Massena Land Local Park | Town or city | 85 | Unknown |
| Indian Meadows Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 44 | Open |
| Bushnell Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Alcoa Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| St. Regis Indian Reservation Native American Land Area | American Indian Lands | 6 | Unknown |
| Creative Wooden Playground Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Forest Place Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Massena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Massena
Barnhart Island BeachIn Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands)
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Massena
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Massena
Massena Intake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Massena
Dwight D. Eisenhower Lock Viewing Area
DirectionsDwight D. Eisenhower Lock Viewing Deck
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Massena
Barnhart Island Overlook and Picnic AreaIn Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands)
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 0.9 mi
John Story Trail0.8 mi
Barnhart Isle0.1 mi
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
12Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Massena: 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 28 | 38 | 53 | 68 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Massena →
Next door
Massena 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massena | 11% | 0.4 | 233 | 81% | A |
| Louisville | 21% | 0.4 | 624 | 14% | B+ |
| Brasher | 35% | 0.7 | 7,590 | 69% | A |
| Norfolk | 7% | 0.1 | 551 | 45% | B |
| Akwesasne | — 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 Massena
Where can I hike in Massena?
The longest trail networks: Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands), 4.6 miles; Massena Springs Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Massena is conserved land?
11% 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 Massena’s trails?
Robert Moses State Park (Thousand Islands) and Massena Springs Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Massena?
37,064 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Massena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,868 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Massena have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #169 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 Massena 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 →