Valcour Island Primitive Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
165 acres1.7 mi of trail
North Perimeter TrailRoyal Savage Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh has 2,136 acres of parks, 181 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Valcour Island Primitive Area (1.7 mi), Cadyville Recreation Park (1.3 mi), Cadyville State Forest (0.6 mi). 7% of Plattsburgh’s land is conserved, about 2,012 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Plattsburgh, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #234 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
2,012 acres · of 45.6 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,136 ac
181 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.1 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 3.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
7 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Plattsburgh?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Plattsburgh have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Plattsburgh is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #234 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Plattsburgh’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land181 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,136 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home59% 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 79%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 69%
Water is 33% of Plattsburgh’s area (22 of 68 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Valcour Island Primitive Area, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cadyville Recreation Park
Park
46 acres1.3 mi of trail
Yellow TrailOrange TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cadyville State Forest
Nature preserve
367 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Cumberland Bay State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
336 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Valcour Island Primitive Area165 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Cadyville Recreation Park46 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Cadyville State Forest367 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Cumberland Bay State Park336 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsLaPierre Lane Riverway Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
East Morrisonville Park8 acres
South Plattsburgh Park7 acres
May Currier Park7 acres
DirectionsWallace Hill Park5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,012 conserved acres
7% of Plattsburgh’s land. Water is left out: Plattsburgh has 45.6 square miles of land and 22.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Plattsburgh’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,156 ac
State conservation536 ac
State parks344 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government48 ac
County19 ac
Local Park · 1,223 acState Conservation Area · 536 acState Park · 344 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Plattsburgh Land Local Park | Town or city | 1,021 | Unknown |
| Cadyville State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 370 | Open |
| Cumberland Bay State Park State Park | State parks | 303 | Open |
| Valcour Island Primitive Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 166 | Open |
| Town of Plattsburgh Land Local Park | Town or city | 110 | Unknown |
| Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 59 | Open |
| Crab Island State Park State Park | State parks | 42 | Open |
| Cadyville Recreation Park Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
| East Morrisonville Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
28 places to go in Plattsburgh
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Plattsburgh
7 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Plattsburgh
19 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Plattsburgh
Cumberland Bay State Park CampgroundHours: May-Oct Mo[2] "Columbus Day" · Fee · In Cumberland Bay State Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Plattsburgh
Cadyville Disc Golf CourseIn Cadyville Recreation Park
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.3 miUnpaved · 20.1 mi
Orange Trail1.6 mi
North Perimeter Trail1.4 mi
Yellow Trail1.1 mi
Royal Savage Trail0.4 mi
Pathway0.3 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
7Basketball
5Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Plattsburgh: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Plattsburgh →
Next door
Plattsburgh and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Peru95 miSchuyler Falls41 miPlattsburgh27 miBeekmantown10 miSouth Hero9.2 miGrand Isle5.0 miMorrisonville3.1 miPlattsburgh West2.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plattsburgh | 7% | 0.6 | 181 | 59% | A− |
| Schuyler Falls | 6% | 1.1 | 262 | 35% | A− |
| Morrisonville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Beekmantown | 7% | 0.2 | 402 | 13% | B |
| Plattsburgh West | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Peru | 16% | 1.2 | 1,041 | 39% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Plattsburgh
Where can I hike in Plattsburgh?
The longest trail networks: Valcour Island Primitive Area, 1.7 miles; Cadyville Recreation Park, 1.3 miles; Cadyville State Forest, 0.6 miles; Cumberland Bay State Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Plattsburgh 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 Plattsburgh’s trails?
Valcour Island Primitive Area and Cadyville Recreation Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Plattsburgh?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes and 3.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Plattsburgh?
47,434 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Plattsburgh or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,136 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Plattsburgh have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #234 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 Plattsburgh 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 →