Heiberg Memorial Forest
Managed by State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
2,256 acres13 mi of trail
Pond 3 TrailPond 2 Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
First Presbyterian Church · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Preble
16% of Preble’s land is conserved: 2,661 acres
79 acres are parks and preserves, 68 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Heiberg Memorial Forest (13 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Preble, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
2,661 acres · of 26.8 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
79 ac
68 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,841 ft
Mount Toppin
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Preble?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Preble have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Preble is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Preble’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land68 acres of park per 1,000 residents (79 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home32% 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 77%
LessMore
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 Heiberg Memorial Forest, with 13 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dwyer Memorial Park
Park
56 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,661 conserved acres
16% of Preble’s land. Who manages Preble’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,234 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)354 ac
County55 ac
Town or city17 ac
State conservation1 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,234 acAgricultural Easement · 354 acLocal Park · 73 acState Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 354 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry State Conservation Area | Other state land | 2,234 | Restricted |
| Cortland County Land Local Park | County | 55 | Unknown |
| Preble Town of Land Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Unknown |
| Tully Lake Fishing Access State Recreation Area | State conservation | 1 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Preble
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Preble
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Preble
Tully Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsFishing spots in Preble
Tully Lake Fishing Access
DirectionsPeaks in Preble
Mount Toppin1,841 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Pinnacle1,713 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Preble
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.7 miUnpaved · 10.0 mi
Pond 3 Trail0.7 mi
Pond 2 Trail0.1 mi
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
2Basketball
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Preble: May and July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Preble →
Next door
Preble and its neighbors
Preble has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preble | 16% | 0.7 | 68 | 32% | A− |
| Homer | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 55% | C |
| Tully | 3% | 0.4 | 8 | 41% | C+ |
| Scott | 8% | 0.1 | 917 | 29% | B |
| Truxton | — 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 Preble
Where can I hike in Preble?
The longest trail networks: Heiberg Memorial Forest, 13 miles; Dwyer Memorial Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Preble is conserved land?
16% 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 Preble’s trails?
Heiberg Memorial Forest and Dwyer Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Preble?
34,497 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Preble or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 79 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Preble have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Preble 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 →