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North Castle, NY, town hallPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Castle

North Castle has 1,839 acres of parks, 150 for every 1,000 residents

19% of North Castle’s land is conserved, about 2,965 acres. 29 miles of mapped trail cross North Castle, 1.2 per square mile of land. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.

Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #42 of 758 in New York. What drives it

Conserved land
19%
2,965 acres · of 23.7 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,839 ac
150 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.1 mi
Highest peak
558 ft
Cooney Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach · 1 boat launch

What kind of outdoors town is North Castle?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Room to roam150 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild19% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 84% of U.S. towns.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does North Castle have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Castle is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #42 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Castle’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land150 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,839 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home96% 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 97%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 95%

Water is 9% of North Castle’s area (2 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.

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.

1234567
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 Cranberry Lake Preserve, with 5.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Cranberry Lake Preserve

Managed by Westchester County Department of Parks
163 acres5.7 mi of trail
Red TrailPurple TrailYellow TrailOrange Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
263 acres5.2 mi of trail
Cliff TrailYellow Trail (lower preserve)Red TrailRed Trail (ridge trail)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Mianus River Gorge Preserve

Managed by The Nature Conservancy
322 acres4.3 mi of trail
Old Growth Forest Trail (red)Old Farmland TrailTodd Pond TrailOld Growth Forest Trail (Red)+1
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto Mianus River Gorge Parking

Betsy Sluder Nature Preserve

Managed by Town of North Castle
94 acres2 mi of trail
Red TrailGreen TrailYellow TrailBlue Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Westmoreland Sanctuary

Nature preserve
119 acres1.6 mi of trail
Cole Kettle TrailHemlock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Wampus Brook Park

Park
58 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Kensico Dam Plaza

Park
27 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 17 parks & preserves
Cranberry Lake Preserve163 acres · 5.7 mi of trail · Westchester County Department of Parks
Directions
Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve263 acres · 5.2 mi of trail
Directions
Mianus River Gorge Preserve322 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Directions
Betsy Sluder Nature Preserve94 acres · 2 mi of trail · Town of North Castle
Directions
Westmoreland Sanctuary119 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Wampus Brook Park58 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Kensico Dam Plaza27 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Directions
Lombardi Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Big Peninsula Unit294 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Louden Point Unit159 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Cat Rocks Park94 acres
Wampus Lake County Park43 acres
Directions
A L Ehrmann Park and Recreation Center11 acres
Directions
Fountains Park10 acres
Clove Road Park7 acres
American Can Conservation Easement5 acres
Miller Hill Park3 acres · Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation
Who protects it

2,965 conserved acres

19% of North Castle’s land. Water is left out: North Castle has 23.7 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North Castle’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Town or city1,821 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,572 ac
County522 ac
State conservation224 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government50 ac
Private owners11 ac
Not recorded1 ac
Local Park · 1,414 acPrivate Conservation · 1,348 acLocal Other or Unknown · 869 acLocal Conservation Area · 172 acOther Easement · 119 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 182 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 59 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Mianus River Gorge Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits884Open
TOWN OF NORTH CASTLE Land
Local Park
Town or city513Unknown
Kensico Fishing Access Area
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city366Unknown
Big Peninsula
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city325Unknown
Eugene And Agnes Meyersanctuary
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits232Open
Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits232Open
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER Land
Local Park
County230Unknown
Louden Point
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city179Unknown
Cranberry Lake Preserve
Local Park
County160Open
VILLAGE-OF-MOUNT-KISCO Land
Local Park
Town or city152Unknown

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

11 places to go in North Castle

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in North Castle
Cooney Hill558 ft elevation
Directions
Kennelwood Hill512 ft elevation
Directions
High PointIn Louden Point Unit
Directions
Trails & water

25 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Horses · 1.3 miUnpaved · 19.6 mi
Red Trail2.8 mi
Yellow Trail1.6 mi
Cole Kettle Trail1.3 mi
Old Growth Forest Trail (red)1.1 mi
Old Farmland Trail1.1 mi
Purple Trail1.0 mi
Cliff Trail1.0 mi
Todd Pond Trail1.0 mi
Yellow Trail (lower preserve)0.9 mi
Blue Trail0.7 mi
15 more trails
Orange Trail
0.7 mi
Red Trail (ridge trail)
0.6 mi
Purple / Red Trail
0.6 mi
White Trail
0.5 mi
Green Trail
0.5 mi
Aqueduct Trail
0.5 mi
Upper Meadow Trail (red)
0.5 mi
Old Growth Forest Trail (Red)
0.5 mi
Blue/Red Trail
0.4 mi
Orange Trail (ravine)
0.3 mi
Hemlock Trail
0.3 mi
Blue / Yellow Trail
0.3 mi
River Trail (green)
0.3 mi
Blue / Purple / Red Trail
0.2 mi
River Trail (Green)
0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Byram Lake ReservoirlakeCobamong PondCranberry LakepondKensico Reservoir / Rye LakereservoirLong PondNorth LakereservoirQuarry LakeslakeSouth PondpondThe Lake In The LedgesWampus Lake ReservoirreservoirWindmill lakeBronx RiverMianus RiverWampus River
Biking & sports

8.1 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

8.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
26Tennis
18Baseball
9Soccer
5Basketball
3Football

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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Miller HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About it
Smith TavernBuilding · listed 1983
About it
Bedford Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About it
Witthoefft HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in North Castle: April 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.510.611.813.314.515.114.913.812.411.09.89.2
High (°F)374048617179848275645242
Rain (in)3.52.94.14.23.94.64.54.34.64.63.74.1

February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in North Castle →

Next door

North Castle and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Mount Pleasant76 miGreenburgh74 miPound Ridge51 miGreenwich48 miNorth Castle29 miHarrison9.9 miHarrison9.9 miWhite Plains8.4 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
North Castle19%1.215096%A+
Mount Pleasant25%2.88894%A+
Harrison5%0.61684%B+
Harrison— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
White Plains15%0.91698%A
Pound Ridge26%2.364085%A+
Greenburgh12%2.42797%A+

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in North Castle

Where can I hike in North Castle?

The longest trail networks: Cranberry Lake Preserve, 5.7 miles; Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve, 5.2 miles; Mianus River Gorge Preserve, 4.3 miles; Betsy Sluder Nature Preserve, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of North Castle is conserved land?

19% 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 North Castle’s trails?

Cranberry Lake Preserve and Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in North Castle?

8.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.

Is there public land near North Castle?

40,331 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Castle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,852 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does North Castle have?

Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #42 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 North Castle neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →