Orient Beach State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
382 acres2.6 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Kosboot · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Southold
Southold has 1,923 acres of parks, 80 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Southold’s land is conserved, about 3,942 acres. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 44 miles of mapped trail cross Southold, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #106 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,942 acres · of 53.8 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,923 ac
80 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.9 mi
6.9 mi paths
Highest peak
148 ft
Mattituck Hills
Lakes & rivers
36
92 beaches · 26 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Southold?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Southold have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Southold is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #106 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 Southold’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land80 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,923 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% 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 92%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 86%
Water is more than half of Southold’s area (350 of 404 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Orient Beach State Park, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Inlet Pond County Park
Managed by Suffolk County Parks Department
59 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Laurel Lake Preserve
Park
31 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Mill Road Preserve
Park
19 acres0.9 mi of trail
Beeoh TrailShortout Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wolf Preserve
Managed by Peconic Land Trust
25 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Reese Preserve
Managed by Peconic Land Trust
28 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Long Beach Bay Tidal Wetlands Area
Nature preserve
407 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Jean W. Cochran Park
Managed by Town of Southold
12 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 31 parks & preserves
Orient Beach State Park382 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsInlet Pond County Park59 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Suffolk County Parks Department
DirectionsLaurel Lake Preserve31 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Mill Road Preserve19 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWolf Preserve25 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Peconic Land Trust
DirectionsReese Preserve28 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Peconic Land Trust
DirectionsLong Beach Bay Tidal Wetlands Area407 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJean W. Cochran Park12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Town of Southold
DirectionsOrient Point County Park34 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLaurel Lake Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Veteran's Memorial Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions5th Street Beach Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Greenport
Cedar Beach County Park65 acres · Suffolk County
Oregon Marsh State Tidal Wetland28 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsBreakwater Beach Park22 acres · Mattituck Park District
DirectionsHallock State Park Preserve12 acres · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Bailie Beach Park12 acres
DirectionsRobert W. Tasker Memorial Park12 acres · Town of Southold
DirectionsAldrich Lane Park9 acres
The Polo Grounds9 acres · Village of Greenport
DirectionsNew Suffolk Waterfront6 acres
Old Schoolhouse Park3 acres
Peconic Bay Park3 acres · Mattituck Park District
DirectionsWalter P. Sabbat Park3 acres
Senator S. Wentworth Horton Park3 acres · Town of Southold
Mitchell Park3 acres
DirectionsWolf Pit Lake3 acres · Mattituck Park District
Mattituck Creek Boat Launch and Park3 acres · Mattituck Park District
DirectionsOyster Ponds Waterway Access Site3 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsNew Suffolk Beach3 acres
Marratooka Lake Park3 acres
Who protects it
3,942 conserved acres
11% of Southold’s land. Water is left out: Southold has 53.8 square miles of land and 350.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Southold’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,229 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,086 ac
Town or city661 ac
County605 ac
State conservation531 ac
Other state land357 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)348 ac
State Park · 1,145 acLocal Park · 1,049 acConservation Easement · 934 acState Conservation Area · 863 acAgricultural Easement · 376 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 829 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 90 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orient Beach State Park State Park | State parks | 1,145 | Open |
| Long Beach Bay State Tidal Wetland State Conservation Area | State conservation | 419 | Open |
| State of New York Lands State Conservation Area | Other state land | 357 | Restricted |
| Suffolk County Land Local Park | County | 351 | Unknown |
| Town of Southold Land Local Park | Town or city | 323 | Unknown |
| Suff Cty Water Authority Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 143 | Unknown |
| Peconic Estuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 137 | Restricted |
| Goldsmiths Inlet County Park Local Park | County | 62 | Open |
| Ceder Beach County Park Local Recreation Area | County | 62 | Open |
| Village of Greenport Land Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
159 places to go in Southold
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Southold
Chocomount Beach
DirectionsFisherman Beach
DirectionsHashamomuck Beach
DirectionsHorton Lane Beach
DirectionsIsabella Beach
DirectionsKenneys Road Beach
DirectionsLong Beach
DirectionsOrient BeachIn Orient Beach State Park
Directions6 more beaches
Sandy Beach
DirectionsSouth Beach
DirectionsSouth Beach
DirectionsStony Beach
DirectionsTruman's Beach
DirectionsVeteran's Memorial Beach
Directions92 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Southold
Third Street Park
DirectionsVeteran's Park PlaygroundIn Veteran's Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Southold
Boat Ramp
DirectionsGreat Pond DEC Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 24 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Southold
Laurel Lake Waterway Access
DirectionsScenic views in Southold
Bluff OverlookIn Inlet Pond County Park
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Southold
Mattituck Hills148 ft elevation
DirectionsChocomount128 ft elevation
DirectionsBrowns Hills108 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Prospect102 ft elevation
DirectionsOregon Hills72 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Hill46 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Southold
Veterans Memorial Picnic AreaIn Veteran's Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Southold
Eastern Long Island Kampground
DirectionsVillage of Greenport Mccann
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 36 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.9 mi
Beeoh Trail0.6 mi
Shortout Trail0.2 mi
Monsell Trail0.1 mi
(private?)0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Barlow PondpondBeach PondBrickyard PondpondCedar Point InletlakeDam PondGreat PondHashamomuck PondIce PondpondInlet PondpondIsland PondpondLaurel LakeLily PondpondLittle BayLong CreekMarion LakeMarratooka LakeMattituck CreekMiddle Farms PondMoney PondpondMud PondpondMunn LakelakePrentice PondpondRichmond CreekSilver LakeTreasure PondpondWolf Pit LakeWunneweta PondDeep Hole CreekDowns CreekGoose CreekHalls CreekJames CreekNarrow RiverSchoolhouse CreekWest CreekWickham Creek
Biking & sports
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
80Tennis
31Baseball
11Basketball
9Pickleball
5Soccer
3Beach volleyball
2Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →30 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 24 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Orient Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itGildersleeve, Andrew, Octagonal BuildingBuilding · listed 1976
About itTerry-Mulford HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itGreenport Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itDavid Tuthill FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1984
About itRichard Cox HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itGreenport Railroad StationDistrict · listed 1989
About itHorton Point LighthouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itSouthold Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997
About itJoshua Wells HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About it18 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Southold: 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 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 41 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 81 | 74 | 64 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
July is the driest month (3.0 in) and the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Southold →
Next door
Southold and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
East Hampton197 miRiverhead84 miWesterly55 miSouthold44 miShelter Island21 miNorthville7.3 miGreenport West6.2 miShelter Island Heights4.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southold | 11% | 0.8 | 80 | 92% | A |
| East Hampton | 34% | 2.6 | 334 | 76% | A+ |
| Shelter Island | 34% | 1.7 | 740 | 81% | A+ |
| Riverhead | 17% | 1.2 | 161 | 94% | A+ |
| Shelter Island Heights | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greenport West | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northville | — 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 Southold
Where can I hike in Southold?
The longest trail networks: Orient Beach State Park, 2.6 miles; Inlet Pond County Park, 1.7 miles; Laurel Lake Preserve, 1.2 miles; Mill Road Preserve, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Southold 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 Southold’s trails?
Orient Beach State Park and Inlet Pond County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Southold?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Southold?
31,013 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Southold or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,923 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Southold have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #106 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 Southold 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 →