Upper Research Site
Managed by SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station
357 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chapin Memorial Church · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Otsego
Otsego has 629 acres of parks, 173 for every 1,000 residents
7% of Otsego’s land is conserved, about 2,276 acres. 4.9 miles of mapped trail cross Otsego, 0.1 per square mile of land. 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #454 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
2,276 acres · of 53.9 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
629 ac
173 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,965 ft
Panther Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Otsego?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Otsego have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Otsego is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #454 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Otsego’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land173 acres of park per 1,000 residents (629 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 59%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 40%
Water is 9% of Otsego’s area (5 of 59 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Upper Research Site, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hartwick State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
539 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Rum Hill
Managed by SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station
45 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Upper Research Site357 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station
Deowongo Island2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hartwick State Forest539 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Rum Hill45 acres · SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station
Lake Front Park3 acres
DirectionsCooper Park2 acres
DirectionsBadger Park1 acres
Council Rock Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,276 conserved acres
7% of Otsego’s land. Water is left out: Otsego has 53.9 square miles of land and 5.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Otsego’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,232 ac
State conservation544 ac
Other state land408 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)137 ac
Town or city23 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government3 ac
Agricultural Easement · 654 acState Conservation Area · 544 acOther Easement · 526 acState Resource Management Area · 408 acConservation Easement · 137 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,297 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 27 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartwick State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 544 | Open |
| Suny Oneonta Biological Field Station State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 408 | Open |
| Village Of Cooperstown Land Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Unknown |
| Cooperstown Central Land Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Unknown |
| Cooperstown Village Lands Local Resource Management Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| National Baseball Hall Of Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Closed |
Things to do
12 places to go in Otsego
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Otsego
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Otsego
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Otsego
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Otsego
Fish Road Boat LaunchIn Lake Front Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Otsego
Council RockIn Council Rock Park
DirectionsPeaks in Otsego
Panther Mountain1,965 ft elevation
DirectionsMetcalf Hill1,962 ft elevation
DirectionsTunnicliff Hill1,909 ft elevation
DirectionsFitch Hill1,844 ft elevation
DirectionsRed House Hill1,608 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Otsego
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Tennis
4Baseball
2Soccer
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Otsego County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itCooperstown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itUS Post Office-CooperstownBuilding · listed 1988
About itFly Creek Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1996
About itGlimmerglass Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999
About itChapin Memorial ChurchBuilding · listed 2002
About itFly Creek Grange No. 844Building · listed 2004
About itFly Creek Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Otsego: 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) | 29 | 31 | 40 | 54 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Otsego →
Next door
Otsego and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middlefield11 miSpringfield7.2 miOtsego4.9 miHartwick2.8 miBurlington2.7 miExeter2.0 miHartwick Seminary1.1 miRichfield0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego | 7% | 0.1 | 173 | 47% | B |
| Middlefield | 9% | 0.2 | 385 | 16% | B |
| Hartwick | 6% | 0.1 | 390 | 23% | B− |
| Exeter | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Springfield | 6% | 0.2 | 849 | 3% | B− |
| Burlington | 9% | 0.1 | 1,374 | 16% | B |
| Richfield | 3% | under 0.1 | 189 | 60% | B− |
| Hartwick Seminary | — 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 Otsego
Where can I hike in Otsego?
The longest trail networks: Upper Research Site, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Otsego 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 Otsego’s trails?
Upper Research Site and Hartwick State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Otsego?
17,281 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Otsego or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 996 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Otsego have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #454 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 Otsego 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 →