Hempstead Lake State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
58 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockville Centre
8% of Rockville Centre’s land is conserved: 157 acres
90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 171 acres are parks and preserves, 6.6 per 1,000 residents. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Rockville Centre, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #525 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
157 acres · of 3.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
171 ac
6.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Rockville Centre?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockville Centre have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockville Centre is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #525 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockville Centre’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land6.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (171 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home90% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 54%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 31%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Hempstead Lake State Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Reverend Doctor Morgan Days Park
Managed by Town of Rockville Centre
57 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Veterans Memorial Park
Managed by Incorporated Village of Rockville Centre
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Hempstead Lake State Park58 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsReverend Doctor Morgan Days Park57 acres · Town of Rockville Centre
DirectionsLister Park22 acres
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park9 acres · Incorporated Village of Rockville Centre
DirectionsHickey Field Park4 acres
DirectionsVillage Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
157 conserved acres
8% of Rockville Centre’s land. Who manages Rockville Centre’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government99 ac
State parks54 ac
Town or city4 ac
Local Park · 103 acState Park · 54 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 8 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstead Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 54 | Open |
| Morgan Days Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 50 | Open |
| Mill River Complex Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Donald F Browne RVC Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| INC VILLAGE OF ROCKVILLECENTRE Land Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Unknown |
| Hickey Field Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Village Green Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Rockville Centre
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rockville Centre
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Rockville Centre
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Rockville Centre
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Rockville Centre
Accessible Picnic AreaIn Hempstead Lake State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Basketball
10Baseball
7Tennis
2Soccer
2Pickleball
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rockville Centre: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 49 | 60 | 69 | 79 | 84 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.3 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Rockville Centre →
Next door
Rockville Centre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockville Centre | 8% | 0.1 | 7 | 90% | B− |
| Baldwin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lakeview | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Oceanside | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lynbrook | 2% | 0.3 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
| East Rockaway | 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 99% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockville Centre
Where can I hike in Rockville Centre?
The longest trail networks: Hempstead Lake State Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockville Centre is conserved land?
8% 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 Rockville Centre’s trails?
Hempstead Lake State Park and Reverend Doctor Morgan Days Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rockville Centre?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rockville Centre?
27,118 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockville Centre or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 171 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockville Centre have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #525 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 Rockville Centre 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 →