Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area
Nature preserve
207 acres3.1 mi of trail
YellowOrange
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Old Southeast Church · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Southeast
Southeast has 1,269 acres of parks, 70 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Southeast’s land is conserved, about 2,228 acres. The biggest trail networks: Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area (3.1 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #149 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
2,228 acres · of 31.7 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,269 ac
70 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
43 mi
10 mi paths
Highest peak
909 ft
Joes Hill
Lakes & rivers
10
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Southeast?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Southeast have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Southeast is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #149 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Southeast’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land70 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,269 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% 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 88%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 80%
Water is 9% of Southeast’s area (3 of 35 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 Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bog Brook Unique Area
Managed by State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation
99 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
East Branch Outlet Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
120 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Diverting Outlet Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
94 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area207 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBog Brook Unique Area99 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsEast Branch Outlet Unit120 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
DirectionsDiverting Outlet Unit94 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
DirectionsWells Park10 acres
DirectionsJohn E. Markel Park6 acres
DirectionsCroton Falls Outlet Unit1 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Who protects it
2,228 conserved acres
11% of Southeast’s land. Water is left out: Southeast has 31.7 square miles of land and 3.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Southeast’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,789 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits285 ac
County179 ac
State conservation103 ac
Regional Water Districts49 ac
Private owners5 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 840 acLocal Resource Management Area · 595 acLocal Park · 581 acAgricultural Easement · 192 acState Conservation Area · 100 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 120 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 592 | Open |
| Town of Southeast Land Local Park | Town or city | 311 | Unknown |
| East Branch Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 287 | Unknown |
| Bog Brook Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 276 | Unknown |
| Tilly Foster Conservation Area Local Park | County | 166 | Open |
| Croton Falls Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 134 | Unknown |
| Bog Brook Unique Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 100 | Open |
| Hunters Glen Water Supply Land Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Unknown |
| Diverting Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 52 | Unknown |
| Middle Branch Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 47 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Southeast
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Southeast
Tonetta Lake BeachFee
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Southeast
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Southeast
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Southeast
Boat Access 24
DirectionsPeaks in Southeast
Joes Hill909 ft elevation
DirectionsSnake Hill764 ft elevation
DirectionsFarrell Hill761 ft elevation
DirectionsBrewster Hill686 ft elevation
DirectionsTurk Hill597 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Ebo
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.4 mi
Yellow1.8 mi
Orange1.3 mi
Old Nelson Boulevard0.6 mi
Biking & sports
43 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
off-road bike paths
33 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Tennis
6Baseball
4Basketball
3Soccer
2Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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 Southeast: April 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Southeast →
Next door
Southeast 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | 11% | 0.6 | 70 | 87% | A |
| Carmel | 13% | 0.5 | 37 | 86% | A− |
| North Salem | 14% | 1.8 | 296 | 66% | A |
| Patterson | 21% | 1.0 | 154 | 73% | A |
| Putnam Lake | — 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 Southeast
Where can I hike in Southeast?
The longest trail networks: Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area, 3.1 miles; Bog Brook Unique Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Southeast 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 Southeast’s trails?
Tilly Foster Farm Conservation Area and Bog Brook Unique Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Southeast?
43 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths and 33 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Southeast?
37,106 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Southeast or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,280 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Southeast have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #149 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 Southeast 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 →