Israel Wittman Sanctuary
Managed by Woodstock Land Conservancy
121 acres2.3 mi of trail
Loop ALoop B
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ulster
Ulster has 1,117 acres of parks, 88 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Israel Wittman Sanctuary (2.3 mi), Ulster Landing Park (0.8 mi), Bluestone Wild Forest (0.6 mi). 8% of Ulster’s land is conserved, about 1,321 acres. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Ulster, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #284 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,321 acres · of 26.8 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,117 ac
88 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
3.2 mi lanes · 2.6 mi paths
Highest peak
787 ft
Gallis Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
3 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ulster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ulster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ulster is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #284 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ulster’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land88 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,117 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home51% 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 76%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 63%
Water is 7% of Ulster’s area (2 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Israel Wittman Sanctuary, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bluestone Wild Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
86 acres0.6 mi of trail
South Central
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Sojourner Truth State Park
Managed by Scenic Hudson
169 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Israel Wittman Sanctuary121 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Woodstock Land Conservancy
Ulster Landing Park92 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBluestone Wild Forest86 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Sojourner Truth State Park169 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Scenic Hudson
DirectionsEsopus Creek Waterway Access2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCharles Rider Park27 acres · Town of Ulster
DirectionsRobert E. Post Memorial Park26 acres
Charles Street Park10 acres
DirectionsRondout Creek Waterway Access1 acres
Who protects it
1,321 conserved acres
8% of Ulster’s land. Water is left out: Ulster has 26.8 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ulster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,532 ac
Town or city212 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)208 ac
State parks170 ac
County92 ac
State conservation90 ac
Regional Water Districts21 ac
Private Conservation · 1,101 acAgricultural Easement · 419 acLocal Park · 306 acConservation Easement · 211 acState Park · 170 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 212 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper Flats Park Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 800 | Unknown |
| Town of Ulster Land Local Park | Town or city | 172 | Unknown |
| Sojourner Truth State Park State Park | State parks | 170 | Open |
| Kingston Landing Development L.L.C. Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 168 | Closed |
| Woodstock Land Conservancy Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Open |
| Ulster County Land Local Park | County | 92 | Unknown |
| Bluestone Wild Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 87 | Open |
| Kingston Water Dept Land Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Unknown |
| Kingsvale Water Lands Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 17 | Open |
| Charles Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Ulster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ulster
Ulster Landing BeachIn Ulster Landing Park
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Ulster
5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Ulster
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Ulster
Glenerie Falls
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Ulster
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Ulster
Gallis Hill787 ft elevation
DirectionsFly Mountain325 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Ulster
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Loop A1.1 mi
Loop B0.8 mi
South Central0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Soccer
7Tennis
7Baseball
4Softball
3Basketball
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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
De Meyer-Burhans-Felten FarmDistrict · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ulster: April, May and July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ulster →
Next door
Ulster and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kingston35 miEsopus35 miSaugerties32 miHurley22 miRed Hook18 miUlster15 miKingston10 miRhinebeck5.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster | 8% | 0.6 | 88 | 51% | A− |
| Kingston | 13% | 1.3 | 27 | 98% | A |
| Kingston | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Esopus | 17% | 0.9 | 322 | 70% | A |
| Saugerties | 6% | 0.5 | 117 | 63% | A− |
| Hurley | 19% | 0.7 | 186 | 29% | A− |
| Red Hook | 28% | 0.5 | 15 | 41% | B+ |
| Rhinebeck | 7% | 0.2 | 38 | 56% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ulster
Where can I hike in Ulster?
The longest trail networks: Israel Wittman Sanctuary, 2.3 miles; Ulster Landing Park, 0.8 miles; Bluestone Wild Forest, 0.6 miles; Sojourner Truth State Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ulster is conserved land?
8% 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 Ulster’s trails?
Israel Wittman Sanctuary and Ulster Landing Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ulster?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes, 2.6 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ulster?
37,502 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ulster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,117 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ulster have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #284 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 Ulster 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 →