Hennig Preserve
Managed by Saratoga PLAN
606 acres7.2 mi of trail
Yellow TrailGreen TrailWhite TrailBlue Esker Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Providence
Providence has 4,994 acres of parks, 2,534 for every 1,000 residents
23% of Providence’s land is conserved, about 6,461 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hennig Preserve (7.2 mi), Homestead County Forest (5.8 mi), LeVine Nature Preserve (2.8 mi). 35 miles of mapped trail cross Providence, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
6,461 acres · of 44.0 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,994 ac
2,534 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
9
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Providence?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Providence have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Providence is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. 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 Providence’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2,534 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,994 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home29% 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 86%
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 Hennig Preserve, with 7.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Homestead County Forest
Managed by Saratoga County
481 acres5.8 mi of trail
Yellow TrailOrange TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Homestead County Forest
LeVine Nature Preserve
Managed by Saratoga PLAN
176 acres2.8 mi of trail
Orange TrailGreen TrailYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Barkersville Trails
Managed by Saratoga PLAN
17 acres0.4 mi of trail
Parish Trail (red)Derby Path (Yellow)
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Hennig Preserve606 acres · 7.2 mi of trail · Saratoga PLAN
DirectionsHomestead County Forest481 acres · 5.8 mi of trail · Saratoga County
DirectionsLeVine Nature Preserve176 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Saratoga PLAN
DirectionsBarkersville Trails17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Saratoga PLAN
Lake Desolation State Forest294 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Saratoga Forest Preserve Detached Parcel101 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Wilcox Lake Wild Forest127 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Middle Grove State Forest96 acres
Who protects it
6,461 conserved acres
23% of Providence’s land. Who manages Providence’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city3,537 ac
State conservation1,829 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,462 ac
County470 ac
Private owners77 ac
Local Park · 3,537 acPrivate Conservation · 1,246 acState Conservation Area · 620 acForest Stewardship Easement · 534 acUnknown Easement · 502 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 690 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam City Property Land Local Park | Town or city | 3,263 | Unknown |
| Saratoga PLAN Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 961 | Open |
| Saratoga County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 470 | Restricted |
| Lake Desolation State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 294 | Open |
| Amsterdam City Water Dept Land Local Park | Town or city | 270 | Unknown |
| Wellborn Woods Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 208 | Closed |
| Finch Pruyn State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 172 | Open |
| Wilcox Lake Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 127 | Open |
| Saratoga Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 102 | Open |
| Middle Grove State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 97 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in Providence
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Providence
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.7 mi
Yellow Trail4.6 mi
Green Trail2.3 mi
Orange Trail2.2 mi
White Trail1.6 mi
Blue Esker Trail0.6 mi
Red Trail0.6 mi
Blue Trail0.5 mi
Parish Trail (red)0.3 mi
Derby Path (Yellow)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Packer Farm and Barkersville StoreDistrict · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Providence: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 41 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Providence →
Next door
Providence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | 23% | 0.8 | 2,534 | 29% | A |
| Galway | 9% | 0.2 | 44 | 19% | B |
| Greenfield | 15% | 1.0 | 447 | 29% | A− |
| Edinburg | 23% | 1.4 | 2,123 | 7% | A− |
| Broadalbin | 1% | 0.1 | 25 | 34% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Providence
Where can I hike in Providence?
The longest trail networks: Hennig Preserve, 7.2 miles; Homestead County Forest, 5.8 miles; LeVine Nature Preserve, 2.8 miles; Barkersville Trails, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Providence is conserved land?
23% 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 Providence’s trails?
Hennig Preserve and Homestead County Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Providence?
35,507 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Providence or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,999 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Providence have?
Ahead of 86% 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 Providence 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 →