Mill Brook Preserve
Park
120 acres3.1 mi of trail
Blue TrailGreen TrailYellow TrailPink Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in New Paltz
15% of New Paltz’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 5.8 miles of mapped trail cross New Paltz, 3.3 per square mile of land. 15% of New Paltz’s land is conserved, about 164 acres.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #47 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
164 acres · of 1.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.8 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
171 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is New Paltz?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild15% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.A trail town3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 98% of U.S. towns.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Paltz have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Paltz is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #47 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Paltz’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (171 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 94%
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 Mill Brook Preserve, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Moriello Park and Pool
Managed by Town of New Paltz
5 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Huguenot Riverfront Park
Managed by Village of New Paltz
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary
Park
3 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Mill Brook Preserve120 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMoriello Park and Pool5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of New Paltz
DirectionsNyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHuguenot Riverfront Park5 acres · Village of New Paltz
DirectionsHasbrouck Park3 acres
DirectionsPeace Park1 acres · Village of New Paltz
DirectionsWho protects it
164 conserved acres
15% of New Paltz’s land. Who manages New Paltz’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits265 ac
Town or city35 ac
Joint16 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Conservation Easement · 115 acUnknown Easement · 110 acLocal Park · 42 acPrivate Conservation · 20 acAgricultural Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 104 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 26 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village Of New Paltz Land Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Unknown |
| Open Space Institute Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 16 | Open |
| Town Of New Paltz Land Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Unknown |
| Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Open |
| Huguenot Historical Society Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
| Weston Parcel Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Closed |
| Wallkill Valley Land Trust Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
| Hasbrouck Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| New Paltz Cent School Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1 | Unknown |
| Peace Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in New Paltz
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in New Paltz
Moriello PoolIn Moriello Park and Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in New Paltz
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in New Paltz
Plains Road Boat Launch
DirectionsScenic views in New Paltz
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in New Paltz
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 4.3 mi
Blue Trail1.0 mi
Green Trail0.7 mi
Yellow Trail0.5 mi
River-to-Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Pink Trail0.3 mi
Orange Trail0.2 mi
White Trail0.1 mi
Purple Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.5 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
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
River-to-Ridge TrailBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
15Tennis
5Baseball
5Basketball
2Softball
2Soccer
2Pickleball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Paltz: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in New Paltz →
Questions about parks and trails in New Paltz
Where can I hike in New Paltz?
The longest trail networks: Mill Brook Preserve, 3.1 miles; Moriello Park and Pool, 0.1 miles; Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Paltz is conserved land?
15% 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 New Paltz’s trails?
Mill Brook Preserve and Moriello Park and Pool don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Paltz?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: River-to-Ridge Trail.
Is there public land near New Paltz?
19,405 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Paltz or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 171 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Paltz have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #47 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 New Paltz 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 →