Hempstead Plains Preserve
Nature preserve
16 acres0.8 mi of trail
1/2 Mile Trail1/4 Mile Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Uniondale
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Uniondale
The biggest trail networks: Hempstead Plains Preserve (0.8 mi). 5% of Uniondale’s land is conserved, about 173 acres. 172 acres are parks and preserves, 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
5%
173 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
1.5 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
172 ac
5.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.8 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 7.2 mi paths
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 Hempstead Plains Preserve, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Hempstead Plains Preserve16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMuseum Row14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFrancis Purcell Preserve67 acres
DirectionsMitchel Athletic Complex58 acres
DirectionsUniondale Park7 acres
DirectionsCedar Street Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
173 conserved acres
5% of Uniondale’s land. Who manages Uniondale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County130 ac
Town or city25 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits12 ac
Regional Water Districts9 ac
Local Park · 155 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 12 acLocal Other or Unknown · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchel County Park Local Park | County | 67 | Open |
| Meadowbrook County Park Local Park | County | 50 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Hofstra University Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Closed |
| UNIONDALE FIRE DISTRICT Land Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Unknown |
| Uniondale Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Smith Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| EAST MEADOW WATER DISTRICT Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 4 | Unknown |
| UNIONDALE WATER DISTRICT Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 3 | Unknown |
| TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD Land Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Uniondale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Uniondale
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Uniondale
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
1/2 Mile Trail0.3 mi
1/4 Mile Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
7.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
22Tennis
14Baseball
13Soccer
8Basketball
6Pickleball
4Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Uniondale: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 50 | 61 | 71 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.3 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Uniondale →
Next door
Uniondale and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hempstead75 miNorth Hempstead25 miGarden City6.7 miEast Meadow5.3 miBaldwin3.9 miUniondale1.5 miRoosevelt1.2 miHempstead0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniondale | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hempstead | 2% | 0.2 | 1 | 99% | C+ |
| Garden City | 4% | 1.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| East Meadow | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Roosevelt | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hempstead | 13% | 0.6 | 10 | 94% | A− |
| North Hempstead | 7% | 0.5 | 10 | 99% | B+ |
| Baldwin | — 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 Uniondale
Where can I hike in Uniondale?
The longest trail networks: Hempstead Plains Preserve, 0.8 miles; Museum Row, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Uniondale’s trails?
Hempstead Plains Preserve and Francis Purcell Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Uniondale?
7.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Uniondale?
26,787 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Uniondale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 172 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Uniondale 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 →