Poestenkill Community Forest
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
435 acres8.9 mi of trail
Moose (yellow)Saphouse (red)Down Payment (red)Gravel Ridge Road (orange)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Poestenkill
Poestenkill has 150 acres of parks, 35 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Poestenkill Community Forest (8.9 mi), Cowee State Forest (2.2 mi), Barberville Falls Preserve (2.2 mi). 19 miles of mapped trail cross Poestenkill, 0.6 per square mile of land. 6% of Poestenkill’s land is conserved, about 1,252 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #417 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,252 acres · of 32.4 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
150 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
27%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,873 ft
Perigo Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Poestenkill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Poestenkill is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #417 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Poestenkill’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (150 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home27% 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 62%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 45%
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 Poestenkill Community Forest, with 8.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cowee State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
338 acres2.2 mi of trail
Old Eastern Turnpike
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Barberville Falls Preserve
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
136 acres2.2 mi of trail
Ridge Trail (Orange)Creek Trail (Gray)Davitt Creek Trail (Blue)Falls Trail (Yellow)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
Nature preserve
31 acres0.6 mi of trail
Long Trail (White)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Snake Hill Cliffs
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
47 acres0.4 mi of trail
Snake Hill (future trail)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Geiser Preserve
Managed by Hudson Taconic Lands
71 acres0.3 mi of trail
Fran's Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,252 conserved acres
6% of Poestenkill’s land. Who manages Poestenkill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,455 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government72 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)48 ac
Town or city11 ac
Not recorded343 ac
Private Conservation · 547 acPrivate Forest Stewardship · 446 acConservation Easement · 438 acUnknown · 343 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 72 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 245 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Conservation Fund Land Private Forest Stewardship | Land trusts & nonprofits | 446 | Closed |
| Rensselaer Plateau Community Forest Unknown | Not recorded | 343 | Open |
| Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 342 | Closed |
| Rensselaer Plateau Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 130 | Closed |
| Geiser Preserve Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 72 | Open |
| Rensselaer Land Trust Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 72 | Closed |
| Town of Poestenkill Land Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Unknown |
| Friends of the Dyken Pond Center Ltd Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Poestenkill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Poestenkill
Waterfront
DirectionsFishing spots in Poestenkill
Poesten Kill Fishing Access
DirectionsWaterfalls in Poestenkill
Barberville FallsIn Barberville Falls Preserve
DirectionsScenic views in Poestenkill
Barberville FallsIn Barberville Falls Preserve
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Poestenkill
Perigo Hill1,873 ft elevation · In Geiser Preserve
DirectionsSnake Hill1,224 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 12.2 mi
Moose (yellow)1.5 mi
Ridge Trail (Orange)1.2 mi
Saphouse (red)0.8 mi
Long Trail (White)0.7 mi
Down Payment (red)0.7 mi
Gravel Ridge Road (orange)0.6 mi
Old Eastern Turnpike0.5 mi
Creek Trail (Gray)0.5 mi
Barred Owl (red)0.5 mi
Big Beaver Bog (blue)0.5 mi
14 more trails
Davitt Creek Trail (Blue)
0.4 miHemlock Swamp (white)
0.4 miRidge (orange)
0.4 miHemlock Hollow (yellow)
0.4 miPorcupine (white)
0.4 miTruancy (pink)
0.4 miPerched Pond (pink)
0.4 miBobcat (yellow)
0.3 miFran's Trail
0.3 miDoree Cox (orange)
0.2 miSnake Hill (future trail)
0.2 miDorothy's Trail (red)
0.1 miFalls Trail (Yellow)
0.1 miFairy Sanctuary (pink)
0.1 miLakes & 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
2Baseball
2Soccer
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
May is the best month for walking in Poestenkill
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 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Poestenkill →
Next door
Poestenkill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poestenkill | 6% | 0.6 | 35 | 27% | B |
| North Greenbush | 1% | 0.7 | 5 | 54% | C+ |
| Sand Lake | 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 16% | C− |
| Grafton | 17% | 1.6 | 2,545 | 45% | A |
| Brunswick | 2% | 0.3 | 33 | 45% | B− |
| Berlin | 42% | 1.0 | 3,286 | 31% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Poestenkill
Where can I hike in Poestenkill?
The longest trail networks: Poestenkill Community Forest, 8.9 miles; Cowee State Forest, 2.2 miles; Barberville Falls Preserve, 2.2 miles; Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Poestenkill is conserved land?
6% 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 Poestenkill’s trails?
Poestenkill Community Forest and Cowee State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Poestenkill?
36,581 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Poestenkill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 152 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Poestenkill have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #417 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 Poestenkill 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 →