Jones Park
Managed by Town of Vestal
336 acres13.4 mi of trail
Main Street (red)Creek TrailDouble DRed Eft+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Don O'Brien from Piketon, Ohio, United States · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Vestal
Vestal has 1,146 acres of parks, 37 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Jones Park (13.4 mi), Binghamton University Nature Preserve (8.2 mi), Arnold Park (1.9 mi). 27 miles of mapped trail cross Vestal, 0.5 per square mile of land. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #335 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
1,096 acres · of 51.7 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,146 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
3.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,755 ft
Bolles Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vestal have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vestal is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #335 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Vestal’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,146 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home77% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 56%
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 Jones Park, with 13.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Binghamton University Nature Preserve
Managed by SUNY Binghamton
453 acres8.2 mi of trail
Anthill TrailForest Loop TrailPond TrailMarsh Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto Lot M0
Arnold Park
Park
105 acres1.9 mi of trail
Arnold Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Tracy Creek State Forest
Nature preserve
420 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
Jones Park336 acres · 13.4 mi of trail · Town of Vestal
DirectionsBinghamton University Nature Preserve453 acres · 8.2 mi of trail · SUNY Binghamton
DirectionsArnold Park105 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsTracy Creek State Forest420 acres
Harold Moore Park13 acres
DirectionsRoss Corners Park11 acres
Middendorf Park11 acres
DirectionsBarlow Park6 acres
DirectionsVestal Center Park5 acres
Stair Park4 acres
Fuller Hollow Park4 acres
Twin Orchard Park3 acres
DirectionsAfrican Road Park2 acres
Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsBarnard Park1 acres
Binghamton University Memorial Courtyard1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,096 conserved acres
3% of Vestal’s land. Who manages Vestal’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city841 ac
State conservation427 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government108 ac
Other state land71 ac
Regional agency20 ac
Private owners5 ac
Local Park · 958 acState Conservation Area · 427 acLocal Recreation Area · 67 acLocal Other or Unknown · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Vestal Land Local Park | Town or city | 458 | Unknown |
| Tracy Creek State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 427 | Open |
| Jones Park Local Park | Town or city | 304 | Open |
| Arnold Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 98 | Open |
| University Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 67 | Open |
| Vestal Central School Distr 1 Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 16 | Unknown |
| Stair Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Harold Moore Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Fuller Hollow Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Middendorf Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Vestal
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Vestal
Vestal Memorial Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Vestal
17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Vestal
Harold Moore Park Boat Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Vestal
Bolles Hill1,755 ft elevation
DirectionsBunn Hill1,745 ft elevation
DirectionsPierson Hill1,644 ft elevation
DirectionsBaker Hill1,585 ft elevation
DirectionsWildcat Hill1,575 ft elevation
DirectionsGrippen Hill1,503 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Hill1,460 ft elevation
DirectionsPierce Hill1,385 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Roundtop Hill1,234 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.4 miUnpaved · 22.2 mi
Arnold Park Trail1.7 mi
Anthill Trail1.3 mi
Main Street (red)1.1 mi
Forest Loop Trail0.8 mi
Pond Trail0.8 mi
Pipeline Trail0.8 mi
Marsh Trail0.7 mi
Saddle Trail0.7 mi
Interpretive Trail0.6 mi
Creek Trail0.6 mi
15 more trails
Double D
0.6 miRed Eft
0.6 miLost Trail
0.5 miHeartbreak Ridge
0.5 miMud Flats (yellow)
0.5 miVestal Rail Trail
0.5 miOuter Limits
0.5 miField Trail
0.5 miFair Dinkum
0.5 miRock n' Roll
0.5 miRed Eye
0.5 miUpper Creek Trail
0.5 miConnector Trail
0.4 miOak Trail
0.4 miOrchard Hill Road (yellow)
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Vestal Rail TrailBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
16Tennis
15Baseball
14Basketball
12Tracks
11Pickleball
7Soccer
4Beach volleyball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Vestal: 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 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 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 (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vestal →
Next door
Vestal and its neighbors
Vestal has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Owego28 miVestal27 miUnion19 miBinghamton9.9 miEndicott6.7 miEndwell3.3 miBinghamton2.8 miJohnson City1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vestal | 3% | 0.5 | 37 | 77% | B+ |
| Union | 3% | 0.5 | 11 | 88% | B |
| Binghamton | 1% | 0.4 | 125 | 56% | B |
| Johnson City | 3% | 0.3 | 8 | 96% | B |
| Endwell | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Owego | 2% | 0.3 | 77 | 51% | B |
| Endicott | 6% | 2.1 | 9 | 99%+ | A |
| Binghamton | 11% | 0.3 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vestal
Where can I hike in Vestal?
The longest trail networks: Jones Park, 13.4 miles; Binghamton University Nature Preserve, 8.2 miles; Arnold Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vestal 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 Vestal’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Jones Park (on leash) and Binghamton University Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vestal?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Vestal Rail Trail.
Is there public land near Vestal?
13,771 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vestal or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,146 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vestal have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #335 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 Vestal 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 →