David A. Sarnoff Preserve
Nature preserve
2,645 acres14.7 mi of trail
Paumanok Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Hayden Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Southampton
Southampton has 258 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
16,519 acres are parks and preserves, 237 per 1,000 residents. 22% of Southampton’s land is conserved, about 19,636 acres. The biggest trail networks: David A. Sarnoff Preserve (14.7 mi), Sears - Bellows Pond County Park (10.9 mi), Quogue Wildlife Refuge (4.5 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #56 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
19,636 acres · of 138.9 sq mi of land
Trails
258 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
16,519 ac
237 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
32 mi
28 mi lanes · 3.5 mi paths
Highest peak
289 ft
Bald Hill
Lakes & rivers
81
68 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Southampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 92% of U.S. towns.Room to roam237 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild22% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.History along the way37 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Southampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Southampton is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #56 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Southampton’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (258 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land237 acres of park per 1,000 residents (16,519 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home79% 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 96%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 93%
Water is more than half of Southampton’s area (155 of 293 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 David A. Sarnoff Preserve, with 14.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sears - Bellows Pond County Park
Park
914 acres10.9 mi of trail
Paumanok Pathyellow trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Quogue Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
278 acres4.5 mi of trail
Brown trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tuckahoe Woods Preserve
Nature preserve
193 acres3.5 mi of trail
Paumanok Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
194 acres3 mi of trail
beach walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Henry's Hollow Pine Barrens State Forest
Nature preserve
271 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wolf Swamp Sanctuary
Park
199 acres2.1 mi of trail
Paumanok Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Emma Rose Elliston Park
Park
90 acres2.1 mi of trail
Paumanok Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 51 parks & preserves
David A. Sarnoff Preserve2,645 acres · 14.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSears - Bellows Pond County Park914 acres · 10.9 mi of trail
DirectionsQuogue Wildlife Refuge278 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTuckahoe Woods Preserve193 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsElizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge194 acres · 3 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsHenry's Hollow Pine Barrens State Forest271 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWolf Swamp Sanctuary199 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Emma Rose Elliston Park90 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMulvihill Preserve79 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Pine Neck Preserve76 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Clam Island County Nature Preserve45 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Iron Point Park47 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Mashashimuet Park37 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRed Creek Park47 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Westhampton Dwarf Pine Plains Preserve792 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · New York State DEC
Sagg Swamp Preserve89 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsPoxabogue County Park89 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Quogue Village Wetlands Preserve14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsShinnecock County Park West365 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsScallop Pond Preserve179 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Ruth Wales DuPont Sanctuary33 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPine Meadow County Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Fairy Dell6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Quogue Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsFoster Memorial Town Beach Park47 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMeschutt Beach County Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth East Field3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGood Ground Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsConscience Point National Wildlife Refuge62 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsMoneyboque Bay State Tidal Wetland54 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsGriffith Preserve23 acres
Shinnecock County Park East17 acres
DirectionsHampton West Park14 acres
DirectionsShinnecock Bay Tidal Wetlands Area14 acres
DirectionsDowns Family Recreational Park14 acres
Tanner’s Neck Preserve12 acres · Peconic Land Trust
North Sea Fire Department Memorial Athletic Field12 acres
Otter Pond Park9 acres
Foster Avenue Park9 acres
DirectionsNorth Haven Tidal Wetlands Area8 acres
Charles F. Altenkirch County Park6 acres · Department of Building Maintenance
DirectionsLudlum Avenue Park5 acres
DirectionsEast Quogue Village Green5 acres · Department of Parks and Recreation
Silver Brook Pond Green5 acres · trustee
Agawam Park3 acres
DirectionsWildwood Lake Waterway Access2 acres
Lola Prentice Memorial Park2 acres
John Steinbeck Waterfront Park2 acres
DirectionsRobert Welsh Garden2 acres
DirectionsSpeonk Hamlet Green2 acres
Flanders Memorial Park2 acres · Department of Parks and Recreation
David Whites Lane Park2 acres · Village of Southampton
Who protects it
19,636 conserved acres
22% of Southampton’s land. Water is left out: Southampton has 138.9 square miles of land and 154.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Southampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County9,140 ac
Town or city5,883 ac
State conservation3,821 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2,474 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,599 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service465 ac
Private owners309 ac
Local Park · 14,911 acState Conservation Area · 3,820 acLocal Conservation Area · 2,700 acPrivate Conservation · 1,249 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 465 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 115 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 276 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOUTHAMPTON TOWN Land Local Park | Town or city | 4,725 | Unknown |
| SUFFOLK COUNTY Land Local Park | County | 2,914 | Unknown |
| David A. Sarnoff Preserve State Conservation Area | State conservation | 2,670 | Open |
| Southampton Town Lands Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2,143 | Restricted |
| Hubbard County Park Local Park | County | 1,785 | Open |
| Sears Belllows County Park Local Park | County | 1,199 | Open |
| Westhampton Dwarf Pine Plains Preserve State Conservation Area | State conservation | 801 | Open |
| Peconic Hills County Park Local Park | County | 594 | Open |
| Shinnecock County Park West Local Park | County | 482 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 428 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
122 places to go in Southampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Southampton
Hot Dog Beach
DirectionsMecox Beach
DirectionsNorth Sea Bathing Beach
DirectionsPikes Beach
DirectionsQuantuck Beach Club
DirectionsQuogue Beach Club
DirectionsQuogue Village Beach
DirectionsRogers Beach
Directions4 more beaches
68 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Southampton
Playground Foster Avenue ParkIn Foster Avenue Park
DirectionsRed Creek ParkIn Red Creek Park
DirectionsRed Creek ParkIn Red Creek Park
Directions38 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Southampton
Trustee Ramp
DirectionsTrustee Ramp West Neck Road
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Southampton
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Southampton
Bald Hill289 ft elevation
DirectionsFlanders Hill230 ft elevation · In David A. Sarnoff Preserve
DirectionsShinnecock Hills49 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Southampton
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Southampton
Chinnecock Bay
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 57 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miUnpaved · 64.4 mi
Paumanok Path39.5 mi
Mulvihill Preserve Trail2.7 mi
Old Railroad2.4 mi
(blue-lettered signs)2.1 mi
Middle Line Highway1.8 mi
beach walk1.7 mi
Paumanok Path (white blazes)1.6 mi
Bay to Ocean Trail1.5 mi
Sprig Tree Path1.3 mi
Clam Island Trail1.2 mi
15 more trails
Northwest Path
0.7 miMiddle Line Hwy Path
0.6 miPoxabogue County Park
0.6 miyellow trail
0.5 mi(yellow-lettered signs)
0.5 miRoad to Toll Gate
0.5 miOld Noyac Path
0.4 miRoad C
0.4 mi(black-lettered signs)
0.4 miRound Pond Trail
0.4 miSagg Swamp Preserve
0.3 miBridge Hill Path
0.2 miOld Noyack Path
0.2 miRoad F
0.2 miMiddle Line
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Agawam LakelakeAlcoltts PondBeaverdam PondreservoirBellows PondBig Fresh PondBirch Creek PondreservoirBishop's PondpondBlack PondBullhead BayCamps PondpondCarters CreekCedar PondpondChannel PondCheney PondpondCoopers Neck PondCrooked PondDeer PondpondFairfield PondFar PondFish CoveFresh PondGoldfish PondGrass PondHaines PondHalsey Neck PondHidden CoveHouse PondJule PondKellis PondLily PondLittle Fresh PondpondLittle Long PondLittle Poxabogue PondLittle Round PondLittle Sebonac CreekLong PondMecox BayMiddle PondMill PondMulvihill PondpondMunns PondpondNorth PondpondNorth Sea HarborNoyak CreekOgden PondOld Fort PondOld Ice PondpondOld Town PondpondOtter PondPeconic LakelakeAspatuck RiverBeaverdam CreekLittle RiverOneck DrainPeconic RiverShinnecock CanalSpeonk River
Biking & sports
32 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
28 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Long Island Greenway—Phase IIBike route
6.5 miLong Island Greenway—Phase IVBike route
1.5 miCourts & fields
1914Tennis
58Pickleball
54Basketball
44Baseball
11Soccer
2Volleyball
2Football
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →37 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Sag Harbor Village DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itJagger HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itBeebe WindmillBuilding · listed 1978
About itWindmill at Water MillBuilding · listed 1978
About itJames L. Breese HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWilliam Merritt Chase HomesteadBuilding · listed 1983
About itWater MillBuilding · listed 1983
About itCrowther HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itJames Benjamin HomesteadBuilding · listed 1986
About itBalcastleBuilding · listed 1986
About itBeach Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About it25 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Southampton: 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 41 | 47 | 57 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 74 | 64 | 54 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.6 |
July is the driest month (3.0 in) and the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Southampton →
Next door
Southampton and its neighbors
Southampton has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brookhaven592 miSouthampton258 miEast Hampton197 miRiverhead84 miFire Island69 miCalverton52 miWainscott25 miRiverside4.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 22% | 1.9 | 237 | 79% | A+ |
| Riverhead | 17% | 1.2 | 161 | 94% | A+ |
| Riverside | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brookhaven | 25% | 2.3 | 79 | 99% | A+ |
| East Hampton | 34% | 2.6 | 334 | 76% | A+ |
| Fire Island | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wainscott | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Calverton | — 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 Southampton
Where can I hike in Southampton?
The longest trail networks: David A. Sarnoff Preserve, 14.7 miles; Sears - Bellows Pond County Park, 10.9 miles; Quogue Wildlife Refuge, 4.5 miles; Tuckahoe Woods Preserve, 3.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Southampton is conserved land?
22% 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 Southampton’s trails?
David A. Sarnoff Preserve and Sears - Bellows Pond County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Southampton?
32 miles of bike routes are on the map: 28 of painted or protected lanes, 3.5 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Long Island Greenway—Phase II and Long Island Greenway—Phase IV.
Is there public land near Southampton?
44,992 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Southampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 16,519 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Southampton have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #56 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 Southampton 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 →