Hinckley State Forest
Nature preserve
1,574 acres12.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Russia
Russia has 5,992 acres of parks, 2,637 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Russia’s land is conserved, about 6,030 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hinckley State Forest (12.5 mi). 53% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
6,030 acres · of 57.0 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,992 ac
2,637 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,542 ft
Sand Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Russia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Russia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Russia is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Russia’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2,637 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,992 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home53% 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 81%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Russia’s area (3 of 60 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
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 Hinckley State Forest, with 12.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Black River Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
1,417 acres0.1 mi of trail
Forty Mountain Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hinckely Day Use Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
573 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
6,030 conserved acres
17% of Russia’s land. Water is left out: Russia has 57.0 square miles of land and 3.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Russia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation3,569 ac
Town or city2,389 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits141 ac
Other state land9 ac
Regional Water Districts4 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,997 acLocal Park · 2,389 acState Recreation Area · 572 acPrivate Conservation · 141 acState Wilderness · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village Of Herkimer Land Local Park | Town or city | 2,326 | Unknown |
| Hinckley State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,581 | Open |
| Black River Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 1,416 | Open |
| Hinckley Day Use Area State Recreation Area | State conservation | 572 | Open |
| Black Creek Bog Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 71 | Restricted |
| Black Creek Bog Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 71 | Open |
| Town Of Russia Land Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Unknown |
| Adirondack Forest Lands State Wilderness | Other state land | 9 | Restricted |
| Village Of Cold Brook Land Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Unknown |
| Upper Mohawk Valley Lands Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 4 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Russia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Russia
PCS Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Russia
Sand Hill1,542 ft elevation
DirectionsBuck Hill928 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.8 mi
Coridor 40.8 mi
Forty Mountain Trail0.1 mi
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
5Soccer
4Baseball
3Basketball
3Tennis
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Russia: May 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 44 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Russia →
Next door
Russia and its neighbors
Russia has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 17% | 0.3 | 2,637 | 53% | A− |
| Trenton | 2% | under 0.1 | 52 | 31% | C+ |
| Deerfield | 1% | under 0.1 | 60 | 66% | C+ |
| Remsen | 6% | 0.1 | 599 | 32% | B− |
| Ohio | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Norway | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Russia
Where can I hike in Russia?
The longest trail networks: Hinckley State Forest, 12.5 miles; Black River Wild Forest, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Russia is conserved land?
17% 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 Russia’s trails?
Hinckley State Forest and Black River Wild Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Russia?
126,743 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Russia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,992 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Russia have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Russia 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 →