Downerville State Forest
Nature preserve
1,427 acres4.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Russell
Russell has 5,535 acres of parks, 2,647 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Russell’s land is conserved, about 5,872 acres. The biggest trail networks: Downerville State Forest (4.6 mi), Degrasse State Forest (2.6 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
5,872 acres · of 96.5 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,535 ac
2,647 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,010 ft
Dana Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Russell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Russell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Russell is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Russell’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2,647 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,535 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% 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 73%
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 Downerville State Forest, with 4.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Degrasse State Forest
Nature preserve
1,151 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Whippoorwill Corners State Forest
Nature preserve
1,267 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Silver Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
768 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Downerville State Forest1,427 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
Degrasse State Forest1,151 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Whippoorwill Corners State Forest1,267 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOrebed Creek State Forest765 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Silver Hill State Forest768 acres
Grass River Wild Forest35 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Who protects it
5,872 conserved acres
10% of Russell’s land. Who manages Russell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation5,449 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)398 ac
Regional Water Districts23 ac
Town or city4 ac
State Conservation Area · 5,446 acConservation Easement · 398 acLocal Other or Unknown · 23 acLocal Park · 4 acUnknown Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 398 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 18 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downerville State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,436 | Open |
| Whippoorwill Corners State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,271 | Open |
| Degrasse State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,161 | Open |
| Silver Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 776 | Open |
| Orebed Creek State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 768 | Open |
| Grass River Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 34 | Open |
| Hermon Village Water Works Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 23 | Unknown |
| Town of Russell Land Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Unknown |
Things to do
8 places to go in Russell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Russell
Hart's Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Russell
Dana Hill1,010 ft elevation
DirectionsPalmer Hill1,004 ft elevation · In Downerville State Forest
DirectionsBackus Hill981 ft elevation
DirectionsBlanchard Hill965 ft elevation · In Whippoorwill Corners State Forest
DirectionsKimball Hill955 ft elevation
DirectionsHamilton Hill804 ft elevation
DirectionsWaterman Hill702 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →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.
Russell Town HallBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Russell: May and August
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Russell →
Next door
Russell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell | 10% | 0.4 | 2,647 | 30% | B+ |
| Canton | 14% | 0.2 | 5 | 53% | B− |
| Hermon | 17% | under 0.1 | 3,695 | 57% | B+ |
| Clare | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Edwards | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pierrepont | 10% | 0.2 | 1,299 | 43% | B+ |
| Fine | 53% | 0.3 | 18,920 | 48% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Russell
Where can I hike in Russell?
The longest trail networks: Downerville State Forest, 4.6 miles; Degrasse State Forest, 2.6 miles; Whippoorwill Corners State Forest, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Russell is conserved land?
10% 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 Russell’s trails?
Downerville State Forest and Degrasse State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Russell?
42,182 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Russell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,535 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Russell have?
Ahead of 73% 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 Russell 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 →