Hook Mountain State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
77 acres1.3 mi of trail
Nyack River TrailLong Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Upper Nyack
27% of Upper Nyack’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Upper Nyack, 3.6 per square mile of land. 27% of Upper Nyack’s land is conserved, about 209 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
209 acres · of 1.2 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
3.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
197 ac
99 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Upper Nyack?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild27% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.A trail town3.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 98% of U.S. towns.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Upper Nyack have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Upper Nyack is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs put Upper Nyack near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Upper Nyack’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land99 acres of park per 1,000 residents (197 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Upper Nyack’s area (3 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
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 Hook Mountain State Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nyack Beach State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
51 acres1.1 mi of trail
Boulders LoopLong PathNyack River Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rockland Lake State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
20 acres0.5 mi of trail
Long PathBoulders Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Marydell Nature Preserve
Managed by The Friends of Rockland Lake and Hook Mountain
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Boulders Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Hook Mountain State Park77 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsNyack Beach State Park51 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsRockland Lake State Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Marydell Nature Preserve8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Friends of Rockland Lake and Hook Mountain
River Hook12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Friends of River Hook
DirectionsWho protects it
209 conserved acres
27% of Upper Nyack’s land. Water is left out: Upper Nyack has 1.2 square miles of land and 3.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Upper Nyack’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks185 ac
Regional agency12 ac
Town or city11 ac
State Park · 185 acLocal Other or Unknown · 12 acLocal Park · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyack Beach State Park State Park | State parks | 83 | Open |
| Hook Mountain State Park State Park | State parks | 82 | Open |
| Rockland Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 20 | Open |
| UNION FREE SCHOOL DIST #4 Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 12 | Unknown |
| VILLAGE OF UPPER NYACK Land Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Unknown |
Things to do
11 places to go in Upper Nyack
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Upper Nyack
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Upper Nyack
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Upper Nyack
8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 4.2 mi
Long Path1.5 mi
Boulders Loop1.4 mi
Nyack River Trail1.1 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
17Tennis
2Baseball
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Upper Nyack: April to June, August 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Upper Nyack →
Next door
Upper Nyack and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mount Pleasant76 miOrangetown45 miClarkstown40 miOssining18 miBriarcliff Manor12 miUpper Nyack4.4 miValley Cottage3.6 miNyack0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Nyack | 27% | 3.6 | 99 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Valley Cottage | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clarkstown | 15% | 1.0 | 42 | 89% | A |
| Nyack | 2% | 0.5 | 2 | 99%+ | B |
| Orangetown | 20% | 1.9 | 50 | 92% | A+ |
| Mount Pleasant | 25% | 2.8 | 88 | 94% | A+ |
| Briarcliff Manor | 6% | 1.9 | 31 | 97% | A |
| Ossining | 9% | 1.6 | 14 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Upper Nyack
Where can I hike in Upper Nyack?
The longest trail networks: Hook Mountain State Park, 1.3 miles; Nyack Beach State Park, 1.1 miles; Rockland Lake State Park, 0.5 miles; Marydell Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Upper Nyack is conserved land?
27% 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 Upper Nyack’s trails?
Hook Mountain State Park and Nyack Beach State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Upper Nyack?
33,898 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Upper Nyack or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 197 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Upper Nyack have?
Among the top 1% 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 Upper Nyack 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 →