Skaneateles Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Skaneateles
305 acres9.2 mi of trail
F8F4F1G2+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: The original uploader was Phmalo at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Skaneateles
Skaneateles has 17 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Skaneateles Conservation Area (9.2 mi), Austin Park (0.6 mi). 2% of Skaneateles’ land is conserved, about 443 acres. 50% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #627 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
443 acres · of 42.6 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
72 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
840 ft
Preston Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Skaneateles?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Skaneateles have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Skaneateles is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #627 of 758 in New York. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Skaneateles’ overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (72 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home50% 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 41%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 17%
Water is 13% of Skaneateles’ area (6 of 49 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. 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 Skaneateles Conservation Area, with 9.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Austin Park
Park
39 acres0.6 mi of trail
Walking Track at Austin Park
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Snow Creek Ravine
Nature preserve
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Shotwell Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
443 conserved acres
2% of Skaneateles’ land. Water is left out: Skaneateles has 42.6 square miles of land and 6.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Skaneateles’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)366 ac
Town or city104 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
State conservation6 ac
Agricultural Easement · 366 acLocal Park · 65 acLocal Recreation Area · 40 acPrivate Conservation · 7 acState Recreation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 366 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Skaneateles Land Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Unknown |
| Fc Austin Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| City Of Syracuse Water Land Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Unknown |
| Snow Creek Ravine Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Closed |
| Village of Skaneateles Land Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Skaneateles Lake Boat Launch State Recreation Area | State conservation | 6 | Open |
| Clift Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Thayer Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Skaneateles
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Skaneateles
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Skaneateles
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Skaneateles
Guppy FallsIn Skaneateles Conservation Area
DirectionsScenic views in Skaneateles
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Skaneateles
Preston Hill840 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.9 mi
F80.9 mi
Charlie Major Nature Trail0.8 mi
F40.6 mi
F10.6 mi
G20.5 mi
B10.5 mi
F90.5 mi
Walking Track at Austin Park0.5 mi
G10.4 mi
B40.4 mi
15 more trails
A0
0.4 miG7
0.4 miA5
0.3 miA2
0.3 miG5
0.3 miB0
0.3 miG6
0.2 miF2
0.2 miA1
0.2 miF3
0.2 miB5
0.2 miG3
0.2 miB2
0.2 miF5
0.2 miG4
0.1 miLakes & 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
13Tennis
10Soccer
7Baseball
4Basketball
2Golf
2Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Community PlaceBuilding · listed 1979
About itReuel E. Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itKelsey-Davey FarmBuilding · listed 1980
About itSkaneateles Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itJames and Lydia Canning Fuller HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itBrook FarmBuilding · listed 2003
About itHazelhurstBuilding · listed 2010
About itShepard Settlement CemeterySite · listed 2010
About itShepard Family HousesBuilding · listed 2015
About itLakeview CemeterySite · listed 2017
About itMottville CemeterySite · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Skaneateles: May, June, 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Skaneateles →
Next door
Skaneateles and its neighbors
Skaneateles has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skaneateles | 2% | 0.4 | 10 | 50% | C+ |
| Spafford | 9% | 0.3 | 480 | 16% | B |
| Marcellus | 3% | 0.3 | 88 | 62% | B |
| Owasco | 1% | 0.5 | 34 | 62% | B |
| Sennett | 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 24% | D |
| Niles | 5% | 0.2 | 694 | 12% | B− |
| Elbridge | 8% | 0.1 | 51 | 61% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Skaneateles
Where can I hike in Skaneateles?
The longest trail networks: Skaneateles Conservation Area, 9.2 miles; Austin Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Skaneateles is conserved land?
2% 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 Skaneateles’ trails?
Skaneateles Conservation Area and Austin Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Skaneateles?
10,441 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Skaneateles or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 72 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Skaneateles have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #627 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 Skaneateles 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 →