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–Not graded
Outdoors in Putnam Lake

Few parks or trails are on the map in Putnam Lake

20% of Putnam Lake’s land is conserved, about 583 acres. 162 acres are parks and preserves, 44 per 1,000 residents. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Putnam Lake, 0.1 per square mile of land.

Conserved land
20%
583 acres · of 4.6 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
162 ac
44 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
981 ft
Browns Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

1234
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk

Pick a walk

Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
373 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area

Nature preserve
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area

Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗

Great Hollow

Nature preserve
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it

583 conserved acres

20% of Putnam Lake’s land. Water is left out: Putnam Lake has 4.6 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Putnam Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

State conservation386 ac
County152 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)38 ac
Town or city34 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits33 ac
State Resource Management Area · 386 acLocal Park · 187 acConservation Easement · 50 acPrivate Conservation · 22 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Cranberry Mountain Wma
State Resource Management Area
State conservation373Open
County Of Putnam Land
Local Park
County152Unknown
Town of Patterson Land
Local Park
Town or city33Open
Great Swamp
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits18Closed
Great Swamp Wma
State Resource Management Area
State conservation13Open
Putnam County Land Trust Land
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits3Open
Club Court Park
Local Park
Town or city1Open
Things to do

3 places to go in Putnam Lake

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in Putnam Lake
Browns Mountain981 ft elevation
Directions
Brimstone Mountain778 ft elevation
Directions
Trails & water

1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Tom's Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Little PondLost LakelakePutnam Lakelake
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
1Basketball
1Baseball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

When to get out

The best walking months in Putnam Lake: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.510.511.813.314.515.214.913.812.411.09.89.2
High (°F)353947607078838174625040
Rain (in)3.42.83.94.03.94.44.64.34.54.73.84.1

February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Putnam Lake →

Next door

Putnam Lake and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Patterson31 miSoutheast19 miNew Fairfield12 miPutnam Lake0.4 miBall Pond0.0 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Putnam Lake— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Patterson21%1.015473%A
Southeast11%0.67087%A

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Putnam Lake

Are dogs allowed on Putnam Lake’s trails?

Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area and Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Putnam Lake?

19,576 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Putnam Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 520 of them inside the town line.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Putnam Lake neighbors.

Town Square →
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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 →