John Philip Sousa House · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.07% of North Hempstead’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Kings Point Park (3.2 mi), Sands Point Preserve (2.5 mi), William Cullen Bryant Preserve (1.9 mi). 7% of North Hempstead’s land is conserved, about 2,249 acres. 25 miles of mapped trail cross North Hempstead, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #305 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is North Hempstead?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does North Hempstead have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Hempstead is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #305 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, North Hempstead ranks #239 on Outdoors.
Water is 23% of North Hempstead’s area (16 of 69 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Kings Point Park, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sands Point Preserve
William Cullen Bryant Preserve
Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Park
Clark Botanic Garden
Half Moon Wetland Conservancy
All 116 parks & preserves
2,249 conserved acres
7% of North Hempstead’s land. Water is left out: North Hempstead has 53.5 square miles of land and 15.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North Hempstead’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 33 of 119 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD Land Local Park | Town or city | 849 | Unknown |
| COUNTY OF NASSAU Land Local Park | County | 504 | Unknown |
| Sands Point County Park Local Park | County | 216 | Open |
| Aerodrome Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 179 | Open |
| VILLAGE OF KINGS POINT Land Local Park | Town or city | 174 | Unknown |
| William Cullen Bryant County Preserve Local Recreation Area | County | 147 | Open |
| Morley County Park Local Park | County | 98 | Open |
| Nassau County Lands Local Resource Management Area | County | 55 | Open |
| GREAT NECK PARK DISTRICT Land Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Unknown |
| The Park At East Hills Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
210 places to go in North Hempstead
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 25 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
160 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 community garden without a name on the map.
16 named trails and 41 lakes & rivers
6 more trails
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
52 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 82 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
40 more on the History page.
The best walking months in North Hempstead: 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 42 | 49 | 61 | 70 | 79 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 54 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.3 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in North Hempstead →
North Hempstead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Hempstead | 7% | 0.5 | 10 | 99% | B+ |
| Oyster Bay | 21% | 1.7 | 26 | 96% | A+ |
| Hempstead | 13% | 0.6 | 10 | 94% | A− |
| New York City | 26% | 1.6 | 5 | 99%+ | A |
| University Gardens | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| New Cassel | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Garden City | 4% | 1.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Jericho | — 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 North Hempstead
Where can I hike in North Hempstead?
The longest trail networks: Kings Point Park, 3.2 miles; Sands Point Preserve, 2.5 miles; William Cullen Bryant Preserve, 1.9 miles; Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Hempstead is conserved land?
7% 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 Hempstead’s trails?
Kings Point Park and Sands Point Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Hempstead?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 4.9 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near North Hempstead?
42,236 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Hempstead or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,432 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Hempstead have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #305 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 Hempstead neighbors.
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 →