Pine Woods Park
Managed by City of North Tonawanda
31 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Joshua Karn · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Tonawanda
North Tonawanda has 16 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Pine Woods Park (1.5 mi), Gratwick Riverside Park (0.7 mi), Fishermens Park (0.5 mi). 244 acres are parks and preserves, 8.1 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #256 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
279 acres · of 10.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
244 ac
8.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 6.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
10 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is North Tonawanda?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Tonawanda have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Tonawanda is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #256 of 758 in New York. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Tonawanda’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land8.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (244 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home97% 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 78%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 66%
Water is 7% of North Tonawanda’s area (1 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Pine Woods Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gratwick Riverside Park
Park
53 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Pine Woods Park31 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of North Tonawanda
DirectionsGratwick Riverside Park53 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsFishermens Park11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPayne Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMayors Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGateway Harbor1 acres · City of Tonawanda
DirectionsBrauer Park1 acres · North Tonawanda
DirectionsWho protects it
279 conserved acres
4% of North Tonawanda’s land. Water is left out: North Tonawanda has 10.1 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North Tonawanda’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city275 ac
Other state land95 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits46 ac
County4 ac
Local Park · 184 acState Park · 120 acState Recreation Area · 58 acConservation Easement · 46 acLocal Resource Management Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 46 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of North Tonawanda Land Local Park | Town or city | 141 | Unknown |
| Erie Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 58 | Open |
| Gratwick Riverside Park State Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens State Park | Other state land | 37 | Open |
| Pine Woods Park State Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Payne Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Mayor's Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| North Tonawanda City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Board Of Education Land Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Unknown |
| Fisherman's Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
39 places to go in North Tonawanda
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Tonawanda
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in North Tonawanda
NT Kayak Launch
DirectionsPlus 9 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in North Tonawanda
8 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in North Tonawanda
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in North Tonawanda
Pavilion #2In Mayors Park
DirectionsPlus 7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in North Tonawanda
Donald F Miller ParkNor-Ton Red Jacket Club
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
Yellow trail0.5 mi
Red trail0.4 mi
White trail0.1 mi
Red trail spur0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Baseball
6Tennis
6Basketball
3Football
1Multi-sport
1Soccer
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Riviera TheatreBuilding · listed 1980
About itHerschell, Allan, Carousel FactoryBuilding · listed 1985
About itUS Post Office-North TonawandaBuilding · listed 1989
About itTonawanda (25th Separate Company) ArmoryBuilding · listed 1994
About itCarnegie LibraryBuilding · listed 1995
About itDick Block, TheBuilding · listed 2012
About itHerschell-Spillman Motor Company Complex, TheBuilding · listed 2013
About itAscension Roman Catholic Church ComplexDistrict · listed 2016
About itPayne Avenue High SchoolBuilding · listed 2019
About itSweeney Estate Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in North Tonawanda: May to August
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in North Tonawanda →
Next door
North Tonawanda and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Amherst48 miGrand Island25 miNorth Tonawanda16 miTonawanda5.8 miTonawanda Town5.1 miWheatfield1.5 miTonawanda1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Tonawanda | 4% | 1.5 | 8 | 97% | A− |
| Wheatfield | 1% | 0.1 | 14 | 67% | C |
| Amherst | 10% | 0.9 | 23 | 81% | A− |
| Tonawanda | 7% | 0.4 | 11 | 96% | B+ |
| Tonawanda Town | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tonawanda | 6% | 0.3 | 11 | 86% | B |
| Grand Island | 17% | 0.9 | 136 | 86% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Tonawanda
Where can I hike in North Tonawanda?
The longest trail networks: Pine Woods Park, 1.5 miles; Gratwick Riverside Park, 0.7 miles; Fishermens Park, 0.5 miles; Payne Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Tonawanda is conserved land?
4% 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 Tonawanda’s trails?
Pine Woods Park and Gratwick Riverside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Tonawanda?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 6.9 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near North Tonawanda?
12,895 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Tonawanda or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 290 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Tonawanda have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #256 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 Tonawanda 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 →