Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area
Nature preserve
626 acres9.7 mi of trail
yellow
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Anthony22 (Uploads) · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Patterson
21% of Patterson’s land is conserved: 4,378 acres
1,784 acres are parks and preserves, 154 per 1,000 residents. 31 miles of mapped trail cross Patterson, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area (9.7 mi), Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area (7.9 mi), Wonder Lake State Park (6.9 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #96 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
4,378 acres · of 32.2 sq mi of land
Trails
31 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,784 ac
154 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
6.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,266 ft
Birch Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Patterson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Patterson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Patterson is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #96 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Patterson’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (31 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land154 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,784 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home73% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 87%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area, with 9.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
1,095 acres7.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wonder Lake State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
750 acres6.9 mi of trail
Highlands TrailYellow TrailBlue TrailNorth Spillway Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Great Hollow
Nature preserve
30 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area626 acres · 9.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area1,095 acres · 7.9 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsWonder Lake State Park750 acres · 6.9 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Great Hollow30 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Swamp Wildlife Management Area643 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsBog Brook Unique Area30 acres · State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Who protects it
4,378 conserved acres
21% of Patterson’s land. Who manages Patterson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,869 ac
State conservation1,682 ac
County857 ac
State parks748 ac
Town or city190 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)50 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government4 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,651 acLocal Park · 980 acState Park · 909 acConservation Easement · 907 acPrivate Conservation · 590 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 433 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 40 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry Mountain Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 1,095 | Open |
| County Of Putnam Land Local Park | County | 850 | Unknown |
| Wonder Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 748 | Open |
| Great Swamp Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 556 | Open |
| Putnam County Land Trust Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 378 | Open |
| Great Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 189 | Closed |
| Woodward State Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 161 | Open |
| Town Of Patterson Land Local Park | Town or city | 103 | Unknown |
| Ginsburg Patterson Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 79 | Closed |
| Bog Brook Unique Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 31 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Patterson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Patterson
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Patterson
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Patterson
Upper FallsIn Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area
DirectionsScenic views in Patterson
7 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Patterson
Birch Hill1,266 ft elevation
DirectionsCranberry Mountain1,234 ft elevation · In Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsBrowns Mountain981 ft elevation
DirectionsConger Hill843 ft elevation
DirectionsCornwall Hill817 ft elevation
DirectionsBrimstone Mountain778 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.7 mi
Highlands Trail2.3 mi
Yellow Trail1.3 mi
yellow0.8 mi
Cliff Trail (yellow)0.7 mi
Sterling Farm Trail (red)0.6 mi
Tom's Trail0.4 mi
Blue Trail0.3 mi
North Spillway Trail0.1 mi
Toms Path0.1 mi
South Spillway Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
4.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Soccer
5Tennis
4Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Patterson: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Patterson →
Next door
Patterson and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kent69 miPawling40 miPatterson31 miSoutheast19 miNew Fairfield12 miLake Carmel0.8 miPutnam Lake0.4 miBall Pond0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patterson | 21% | 1.0 | 154 | 73% | A |
| Pawling | 9% | 0.9 | 114 | 41% | A− |
| Kent | 39% | 1.7 | 409 | 83% | A+ |
| Putnam Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Southeast | 11% | 0.6 | 70 | 87% | A |
| Lake Carmel | — 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 Patterson
Where can I hike in Patterson?
The longest trail networks: Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area, 9.7 miles; Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area, 7.9 miles; Wonder Lake State Park, 6.9 miles; Great Hollow, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Patterson is conserved land?
21% 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 Patterson’s trails?
Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area and Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Patterson?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of off-road paths and 4.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Patterson?
31,015 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Patterson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,623 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Patterson have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #96 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 Patterson 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 →