Fancher-Davidge Park
Managed by City of Middletown
45 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Grace Episcopal Church · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Middletown
9% of Middletown’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
7.0 miles of mapped trail cross Middletown, 1.3 per square mile of land. 9% of Middletown’s land is conserved, about 324 acres. The biggest trail networks: Fancher-Davidge Park (1.2 mi), Maple Hill Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #221 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
324 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.0 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
144 ac
4.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.3 mi
2.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Middletown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Middletown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Middletown is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #221 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Middletown’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land4.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (144 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13CParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 71%
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 Fancher-Davidge Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Maple Hill Park
Managed by City of Middletown
19 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Fancher-Davidge Park45 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · City of Middletown
DirectionsMaple Hill Park19 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Middletown
DirectionsWatts Memorial Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThrall Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Middletown
DirectionsAlumni Green2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKatherine Chappell memorial park9 acres
DirectionsAcademy Avenue Park2 acres · City of Middletown
DirectionsBen & Paula Amchir Park1 acres
Bennett Hill Park1 acres · City of Middletown
DirectionsSproat Street Park1 acres
Beattie Hill Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
324 conserved acres
9% of Middletown’s land. Who manages Middletown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land221 ac
Town or city205 ac
Private owners11 ac
State Resource Management Area · 221 acLocal Park · 215 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown State Psychiatric Center State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 221 | Open |
| City Of Middletown Land Local Park | Town or city | 104 | Unknown |
| Fancher Davidge Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Maple Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Private Lands Local Park | Private owners | 11 | Open |
| Katherine Chappell Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Thrall Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Academy Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Ben & Paula Amchir Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Middletown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Middletown
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Middletown
Maple Hill Dog ParkIn Maple Hill Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
8Basketball
8Baseball
6Soccer
2Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 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.
Oliver Avenue BridgeStructure · listed 1984
About itWebb Horton HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itHillside CemeterySite · listed 1994
About itParamount TheatreBuilding · listed 2002
About itFirst Congregational Church of MiddletownBuilding · listed 2005
About itChrist ChurchBuilding · listed 2008
About itGrace Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2010
About itJohn G. Beakes HouseBuilding · listed 2010
About itNew York, Ontario & Western Railway Company Middletown StationBuilding · listed 2014
About itCash-Draper HouseBuilding · listed 2017
About itHowell-Hinchman TanneryBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Middletown: April, May and July
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Middletown →
Next door
Middletown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown | 9% | 1.3 | 5 | 99% | A− |
| Wallkill | 12% | 1.2 | 162 | 84% | A |
| Washington Heights | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mechanicstown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wawayanda | 2% | 0.8 | 48 | 45% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Middletown
Where can I hike in Middletown?
The longest trail networks: Fancher-Davidge Park, 1.2 miles; Maple Hill Park, 0.7 miles; Watts Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Middletown 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 Middletown’s trails?
Fancher-Davidge Park and Maple Hill Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Middletown?
2.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Middletown?
15,906 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Middletown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 347 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Middletown have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #221 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 Middletown 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 →