16% of Niskayuna’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
23 miles of mapped trail cross Niskayuna, 1.6 per square mile of land. 16% of Niskayuna’s land is conserved, about 1,428 acres. 1,346 acres are parks and preserves, 57 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #44 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
1,428 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,346 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.4 mi
9.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Niskayuna?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Niskayuna is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #44 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 Niskayuna’s overall grade.
Water is 6% of Niskayuna’s area (1 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 15%.
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.
16% of Niskayuna’s land. Water is left out: Niskayuna has 14.2 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Niskayuna’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land445 ac
Town or city355 ac
State parks313 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits277 ac
Department of Energy176 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government166 ac
Regional agency6 ac
Local Park · 512 acState Recreation Area · 404 acState Park · 313 acPrivate Conservation · 277 acFederal Other or Unknown · 176 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Erie Canal
State Recreation Area
Other state land
398
Open
Town of Niskayuna Land
Local Park
Town or city
332
Unknown
Mohawk River State Park
State Park
State parks
313
Open
Lisha Kill Natural Area
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
268
Open
Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (US Dept of Energy)
Federal Other or Unknown
Department of Energy
176
Unknown
Blatnick Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government
133
Open
Oswald D Heck State Developmental Center
State Resource Management Area
Other state land
41
Open
Aqueduct Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government
25
Open
City Of Schenectady Land
Local Park
Town or city
14
Unknown
Lisha Kill
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
9
Closed
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Niskayuna
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Tennis
18Baseball
7Basketball
7Soccer
6Multi-sport
6Pickleball
2Football
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
4 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.
The best walking months in Niskayuna: 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)
9.4
10.5
11.8
13.3
14.6
15.3
15.0
13.9
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.0
High (°F)
32
35
44
58
70
78
83
81
73
61
48
37
Rain (in)
2.7
2.4
3.0
3.3
3.5
4.3
4.1
3.9
3.8
3.9
3.0
3.2
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Niskayuna →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Niskayuna
Where can I hike in Niskayuna?
The longest trail networks: Mohawk River State Park, 6 miles; Town of Niskayuna Public Open Space, 2.6 miles; H. G. Reist Wildlife Sanctuary, 2.4 miles; Lisha Kill Natural Area, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Niskayuna is conserved land?
16% 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 Niskayuna’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Town of Niskayuna Public Open Space. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Niskayuna?
9.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Niskayuna?
18,458 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Niskayuna or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,388 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Niskayuna have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #44 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 Niskayuna neighbors.
Photo: UpstateNYer · CC BY-SA 3.0