Lake Taghkanic State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
662 acres3.1 mi of trail
Reesa Farm (Green)Campground Loop (Green)Reesa Farm
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tyler A. McNeil · CC BY 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Taghkanic
Taghkanic has 1,498 acres of parks, 1,168 for every 1,000 residents
12% of Taghkanic’s land is conserved, about 3,145 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lake Taghkanic State Park (3.1 mi), Taghkanic Community Forest (2.7 mi), New Forge State Forest (0.6 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
3,145 acres · of 40.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.7 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,498 ac
1,168 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
863 ft
Bloody Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Taghkanic?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Taghkanic have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Taghkanic is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Taghkanic’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land1,168 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,498 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% 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 67%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Lake Taghkanic State Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Taghkanic Community Forest
Managed by Columbia Land Conservancy
500 acres2.7 mi of trail
Big Woods TrailBarred Owl TrailOtter's LedgeCoyote Alley
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
New Forge State Forest
Nature preserve
604 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Doodletown Wildlife Management Area
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
361 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Taghkanic State Park662 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsTaghkanic Community Forest500 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Columbia Land Conservancy
New Forge State Forest604 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsDoodletown Wildlife Management Area361 acres · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsHarlem Valley Rail Trail7 acres
Who protects it
3,145 conserved acres
12% of Taghkanic’s land. Who manages Taghkanic’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,074 ac
State conservation1,033 ac
State parks670 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)501 ac
Town or city138 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,989 acState Conservation Area · 672 acState Park · 670 acState Resource Management Area · 361 acConservation Easement · 339 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,218 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Forge State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 672 | Open |
| Lake Taghkanic State Park State Park | State parks | 670 | Open |
| Doodletown Wildlife Management Area State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 361 | Open |
| City Of Hudson Land Local Park | Town or city | 138 | Unknown |
| Columbia Land Conservancy Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 84 | Closed |
| Taconic Hills Central School Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
3 places to go in Taghkanic
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Taghkanic
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Taghkanic
Bloody Hill863 ft elevation
DirectionsPond Hill669 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.1 mi
Reesa Farm (Green)1.6 mi
Campground Loop (Green)1.4 mi
Big Woods Trail1.0 mi
Barred Owl Trail0.3 mi
Otter's Ledge0.1 mi
Coyote Alley0.1 mi
Lakes & 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
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
House at New ForgeBuilding · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Taghkanic: April and May
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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Taghkanic →
Next door
Taghkanic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taghkanic | 12% | 0.2 | 1,168 | 30% | B+ |
| Livingston | 19% | under 0.1 | 95 | 18% | B− |
| Gallatin | 11% | 0.2 | 627 | 9% | B |
| Claverack | 10% | 0.2 | 61 | 35% | B |
| Copake | 19% | 0.5 | 1,041 | 41% | A− |
| Ancram | 24% | 0.5 | 528 | 13% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Taghkanic
Where can I hike in Taghkanic?
The longest trail networks: Lake Taghkanic State Park, 3.1 miles; Taghkanic Community Forest, 2.7 miles; New Forge State Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Taghkanic is conserved land?
12% 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 Taghkanic’s trails?
Lake Taghkanic State Park and Taghkanic Community Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Taghkanic?
33,655 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Taghkanic or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,861 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Taghkanic have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Taghkanic 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 →