Johnson City Square Deal Arch · Photo: Doug Kerr from Upstate New York · CC BY-SA 2.0Union has 19 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Brixius Creek Sports Facility (0.9 mi), Struble Sports Facility (0.8 mi), Round Top Picnic Area (0.6 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Union’s land is conserved, about 566 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #421 of 758 in New York. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Union?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Union have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Union is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #421 of 758 in New York. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Brixius Creek Sports Facility, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Struble Sports Facility
George W. Johnson Park
All 15 parks & preserves
566 conserved acres
3% of Union’s land. Who manages Union’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broome County Land Local Park | County | 160 | Unknown |
| Town of Union Land Local Park | Town or city | 151 | Open |
| County of Broome Land Local Park | County | 83 | Unknown |
| Village of Endicott Land Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Unknown |
| Village of JC Land Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Unknown |
| Overbrook Park Local Park | County | 40 | Open |
| Brixius Creek Park Local Park | County | 30 | Open |
| Round Top Park Local Park | County | 30 | Open |
| Glendale Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| 17C Sports Complex Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
25 places to go in Union
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
3 lakes & rivers
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
16 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
4 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Union: May, July and 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Union →
Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | 3% | 0.5 | 11 | 88% | B |
| Vestal | 3% | 0.5 | 37 | 77% | B+ |
| Johnson City | 3% | 0.3 | 8 | 96% | B |
| Dickinson | 9% | 0.6 | 45 | 99% | A |
| Maine | 1% | 0.1 | 59 | 28% | C |
| Binghamton | 11% | 0.3 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Owego | 2% | 0.3 | 77 | 51% | B |
| Endwell | — 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 Union
Where can I hike in Union?
The longest trail networks: Brixius Creek Sports Facility, 0.9 miles; Struble Sports Facility, 0.8 miles; Round Top Picnic Area, 0.6 miles; William H. Hill Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Union is conserved land?
3% 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 Union’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Brixius Creek Sports Facility. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Union?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 0.4 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Union?
14,180 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 605 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #421 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 Union neighbors.
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 →