Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
606 acres9.8 mi of trail
North rim trail (red)South Rim Trail (red)Overlook trail (blue)Highland Trail (green)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Plotterkill Nature Preserve
Photo: Adam Moss from Highland Park, NJ, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rotterdam
Rotterdam has 1,107 acres of parks, 36 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Plotter Kill Nature Preserve (9.8 mi), Rotterdam Preserve (1.5 mi), Moccasin Kill Sanctuary (1.1 mi). 22 miles of mapped trail cross Rotterdam, 0.6 per square mile of land. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #286 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,116 acres · of 35.7 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,107 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rotterdam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rotterdam is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #286 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rotterdam’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,107 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home76% 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 76%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 62%
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 Plotter Kill Nature Preserve, with 9.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rotterdam Preserve
Managed by Town of Rotterdam
96 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Moccasin Kill Sanctuary
Park
96 acres1.1 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Moccasin Kill Sanctuary Parking
City of Schenectady
Managed by City of Schenectady
29 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Plotter Kill Nature Preserve606 acres · 9.8 mi of trail
DirectionsRotterdam Preserve96 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Town of Rotterdam
DirectionsMoccasin Kill Sanctuary96 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCity of Schenectady29 acres · City of Schenectady
DirectionsFort Hunter Park9 acres
DirectionsCarman Park5 acres
DirectionsWoestina Park4 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park3 acres
DirectionsBoxwood Park2 acres
Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 23, Old Erie Canal1 acres
Gateway Landing Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,116 conserved acres
5% of Rotterdam’s land. Who manages Rotterdam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County561 ac
Other state land240 ac
Town or city219 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits191 ac
Regional Water Districts16 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)6 ac
Private owners3 ac
Local Park · 781 acState Recreation Area · 240 acPrivate Conservation · 193 acLocal Other or Unknown · 16 acConservation Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Of Schenectady Land Local Park | County | 561 | Unknown |
| Erie Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 240 | Open |
| Town of Rotterdam Land Local Park | Town or city | 192 | Unknown |
| Moccasin Kill Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 191 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Water District #5 Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 11 | Unknown |
| Fort Hunter Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Carman Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Water District #3 Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 5 | Unknown |
| Private Lands Private Conservation | Private owners | 3 | Closed |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Rotterdam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Rotterdam
Shereen Ct Playground
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Rotterdam
Kiwanis Park Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Rotterdam
Jacob's Ladder FallsIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsLower Plotter Kill FallsIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsRynex Kill FallsIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsSergeant FallsIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsUpper Plotter Kill FallsIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlus 7 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Rotterdam
Lower falls overlookIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsOverlook to landslide and gorgeIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsUpper Falls OverlookIn Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 15.3 mi
North rim trail (red)2.4 mi
South Rim Trail (red)2.0 mi
Great Flats Nature Trail1.4 mi
Highland Trail (green)0.8 mi
New York Long Path (aqua)0.7 mi
Overlook trail (blue)0.7 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
Nature Trail0.6 mi
Lower Gregg Road access trail - white0.5 mi
unmaintained trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Red Trail
0.4 miHigh water trail (blue)
0.4 miSxN crossover trail (red)
0.3 miScenic Loop trail (yellow)
0.3 miRed and blue trail
0.3 miGifford Farm trail
0.2 miHighland trail (green)
0.2 miSergeant Falls side trail (yellow)
0.2 miScramble to Falls Base
0.2 miHighland Trail connector (green)
0.2 miCoplon Road access (red)
0.2 miherd path
0.1 miMariaville Road access trail (blue)
0.1 miunmarked herd path
0.1 miLandslide Crossing (red)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Baseball
10Tennis
6Soccer
5Basketball
4Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rotterdam: May, August and 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) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rotterdam →
Next door
Rotterdam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam | 5% | 0.6 | 36 | 76% | A− |
| Glenville | 5% | 0.5 | 40 | 59% | B+ |
| Schenectady | 11% | 1.1 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Guilderland | 10% | 0.8 | 46 | 67% | A− |
| Colonie | 7% | 1.4 | 29 | 78% | A− |
| Florida | 2% | 0.1 | 146 | 29% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rotterdam
Where can I hike in Rotterdam?
The longest trail networks: Plotter Kill Nature Preserve, 9.8 miles; Rotterdam Preserve, 1.5 miles; Moccasin Kill Sanctuary, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rotterdam is conserved land?
5% 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 Rotterdam’s trails?
Plotter Kill Nature Preserve and Rotterdam Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rotterdam?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rotterdam?
18,443 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rotterdam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,107 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rotterdam have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #286 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 Rotterdam 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 →