Central Park
Park
260 acres7.6 mi of trail
White Collar Resort PrisonThe MondaysJump to ConclusionsThe Bobs+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: UpstateNYer · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Schenectady
11% of Schenectady’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12 miles of mapped trail cross Schenectady, 1.1 per square mile of land. 11% of Schenectady’s land is conserved, about 766 acres. The biggest trail networks: Central Park (7.6 mi), Woodlawn Preserve (2.2 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #156 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
766 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
815 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 4.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Schenectady?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Schenectady have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Schenectady is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #156 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Schenectady’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (815 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 80%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Central Park, with 7.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Woodlawn Preserve
Nature preserve
116 acres2.2 mi of trail
Blue TrailRed TrailBlue / Red TrailGreen Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 28 parks & preserves
Central Park260 acres · 7.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodlawn Preserve116 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSteinmetz Park31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJerry Burrell Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOrchard Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVale Park32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrout Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHillhurst Park24 acres
DirectionsKailberg Park16 acres
DirectionsMt. Pleasant Fields14 acres
DirectionsMohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail9 acres
DirectionsMichigan Avenue Park4 acres
DirectionsFront Street Park3 acres
DirectionsStelmack Park3 acres · City of Schenectady
Quackenbush Park3 acres
Steinmetz Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsFairview Park2 acres
DirectionsWoodlawn Park2 acres
DirectionsTown of Niskayuna1 acres · Town of Niskayuna
Schenectady Park1 acres
DirectionsGateway Plaza1 acres
DirectionsCarrie Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWallingford Park1 acres
10th & Webster Park1 acres
DirectionsMacGathan Park1 acres
Sankofa Sculpture Park1 acres · Hamilton Hill Arts Center
DirectionsWho protects it
766 conserved acres
11% of Schenectady’s land. Who manages Schenectady’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,116 ac
Other state land3 ac
Local Park · 830 acLocal Recreation Area · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 116 acState Recreation Area · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Schenectady Land Local Park | Town or city | 439 | Unknown |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 262 | Open |
| Schenectady Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 170 | Open |
| Woodlawn Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 116 | Open |
| Hillhurst Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Steinmetz Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Vale Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Kailberg Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Grout Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
53 places to go in Schenectady
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Schenectady
Central Park PoolIn Central Park
DirectionsFront Street PoolIn Front Street Park
DirectionsSchenectady High School Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Schenectady
44 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Schenectady
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Schenectady
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Schenectady
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Schenectady
Sycamore Collaborative Hulett Street FarmSycamore Collaborative
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.9 mi
White Collar Resort Prison1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.8 mi
The Mondays0.6 mi
Jump to Conclusions0.5 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
The Bobs0.4 mi
Channel 90.4 mi
Good for the Company0.4 mi
Blue / Red Trail0.3 mi
Big Grains of Salt0.3 mi
12 more trails
People Skills
0.2 mi37 Pieces of Flair
0.2 miHawaiian Shirt Day
0.2 miGreen Trail
0.2 miPeople to Cake Ratio
0.2 miYellow Trail
0.2 miPC Load Letter
0.1 miMichael Bolton's Entire Catalog
0.1 miTPS Reports
0.1 miWhite Trail
0.1 miGrout Park Access Path
0.1 miRed Swingline
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
45Tennis
28Baseball
28Basketball
12Pickleball
3Football
3Soccer
2Multi-sport
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →36 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 17 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Stockade Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itSchenectady City Hall and Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1978
About itProctor, F. F., Theatre and ArcadeBuilding · listed 1979
About itGeneral Electric Realty PlotDistrict · listed 1980
About itUnion Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itFranklin SchoolBuilding · listed 1983
About itH. S. Barney BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itCentral Fire StationBuilding · listed 1985
About itHotel Van CurlerBuilding · listed 1985
About it24 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Schenectady: May and July 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) | 9.4 | 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 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Schenectady →
Next door
Schenectady 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady | 11% | 1.1 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Rotterdam | 5% | 0.6 | 36 | 76% | A− |
| Niskayuna | 16% | 1.6 | 57 | 99% | A+ |
| Glenville | 5% | 0.5 | 40 | 59% | B+ |
| East Glenville | — 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 Schenectady
Where can I hike in Schenectady?
The longest trail networks: Central Park, 7.6 miles; Woodlawn Preserve, 2.2 miles; Steinmetz Park, 0.3 miles; Jerry Burrell Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Schenectady is conserved land?
11% 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 Schenectady’s trails?
Central Park and Woodlawn Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Schenectady?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 4.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Schenectady?
17,832 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Schenectady or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 815 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Schenectady have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #156 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 Schenectady 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 →