39% of Putnam Valley’s land is conserved: 10,313 acres
7,131 acres are parks and preserves, 607 per 1,000 residents. 71 miles of mapped trail cross Putnam Valley, 1.7 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park (44.3 mi), Agatha A. Durland Scout Reservation (11.2 mi), Granite Mountain Preserve (4.2 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #20 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
39%
10,313 acres · of 41.1 sq mi of land
Trails
71 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,131 ac
607 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.4 mi
Highest peak
1,099 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Putnam Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Putnam Valley is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #20 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Putnam Valley’s overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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.
West Branch Headwaters Unit535 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Kent Cliffs Unit151 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Open Space Institute132 acres · Open Space Institute
California Hill State Forest73 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Leonard Wagner aka Putnam Valley Town Park18 acres
Who protects it
10,313 conserved acres
39% of Putnam Valley’s land. Who manages Putnam Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks10,256 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits736 ac
Town or city699 ac
State conservation635 ac
National Park Service307 ac
County96 ac
Joint37 ac
State Park · 6,346 acConservation Easement · 1,970 acUnknown Easement · 1,968 acOther Easement · 944 acLocal Park · 766 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,429 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
State Park
State parks
6,119
Open
City of Peekskill Land
Local Park
Town or city
463
Unknown
Granite Mountain Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
357
Open
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
National Scenic or Historic Trail
National Park Service
307
Open
Donald J. Trump State Park
State Park
State parks
227
Open
Town Of Putnam Valley Land
Local Park
Town or city
206
Unknown
County Of Putnam Land
Local Park
County
96
Unknown
California Hill State Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
74
Open
New York City Watershed
Watershed Protection Area
Town or city
18
Closed
New York City Lands
Local Resource Management Area
Town or city
12
Open
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in Putnam Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Putnam Valley
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Putnam Valley
StillwaterIn Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
6Baseball
5Tennis
3Soccer
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
1 place 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.
The best walking months in Putnam Valley: 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.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.5
10.6
11.8
13.3
14.5
15.1
14.9
13.8
12.4
11.0
9.8
9.2
High (°F)
36
39
47
60
70
79
83
82
74
63
51
40
Rain (in)
3.5
2.8
4.1
3.9
3.8
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.4
4.7
3.9
4.2
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 Valley →
Next door
Putnam Valley and its neighbors
Putnam Valley has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Putnam Valley
Where can I hike in Putnam Valley?
The longest trail networks: Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, 44.3 miles; Agatha A. Durland Scout Reservation, 11.2 miles; Granite Mountain Preserve, 4.2 miles; Wiccopee Reservoir, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Putnam Valley is conserved land?
39% 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 Putnam Valley’s trails?
Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park and Agatha A. Durland Scout Reservation don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Putnam Valley?
7.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Putnam Valley?
79,726 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Putnam Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,440 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Putnam Valley have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 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 Putnam Valley neighbors.
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0