Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
2,605 acres11.8 mi of trail
Launt Pond SpurJohn Whalen TrailLaunt Pond TrailCorral Spur
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Second Walton Armory (Thrity-third Separate Company) · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Walton
Walton has 251 acres of parks, 48 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Walton’s land is conserved, about 6,763 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area (11.8 mi), Beerston Unit (1.6 mi), More Park Unit (0.7 mi). 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #333 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
6,763 acres · of 96.8 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
251 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,546 ft
Starkweather Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Walton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Walton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Walton is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #333 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Walton’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (251 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home55% 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 Bear Spring Mountain WMA, with 11.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Beerston Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
732 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
More Park Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
128 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Bear Spring Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
1,285 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Chipmunk Hollow Unit
Managed by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
101 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 24 parks & preserves
Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area2,605 acres · 11.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBeerston Unit732 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
DirectionsMore Park Unit128 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Austin Lincoln Park30 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Spring Unit1,285 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Chipmunk Hollow Unit101 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Marvin Hollow Unit169 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Fish Brook Unit456 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
DirectionsMacGibbon Hollow Unit284 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Fish Hollow Unit274 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Walton Forest Preserve Detached Parcel108 acres
Loomis Unit96 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Pines Brook Unit88 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Chambers Hollow Unit83 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Freer Hollow Unit70 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
North Walton Unit63 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Bobs Brook Unit56 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Kerrs Creek Unit56 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
River Road Unit50 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Russell Road Unit43 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
West Brook Unit30 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Plymouth Unit6 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Tower Mountain Unit1 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Cross Road Unit1 acres · New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Supply
Who protects it
6,763 conserved acres
11% of Walton’s land. Who manages Walton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation3,899 ac
Town or city1,862 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,285 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government31 ac
Regional agency16 ac
Other state land6 ac
Private owners1 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,602 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,507 acAgricultural Easement · 1,282 acOther Easement · 850 acRecreation or Education Easement · 328 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,148 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 17 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Spring Mountain Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 2,602 | Open |
| Beerston Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 749 | Unknown |
| Cannonsville Fishing Access Area Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 718 | Unknown |
| New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection 1 Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 274 | Closed |
| Walton Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 110 | Open |
| Village of Walton Land Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Unknown |
| New York City Watershed Watershed Protection Area | Town or city | 34 | Closed |
| Unknown Green Space Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 23 | Open |
| Walton Central School Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 16 | Unknown |
| New York City Lands Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Walton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Walton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Walton
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Public pools in Walton
John "Jack" Kelly Memorial PoolIn Austin Lincoln Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Walton
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Walton
Starkweather Hill2,546 ft elevation · In Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area
DirectionsHouck Mountain2,454 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Spring Mountain2,448 ft elevation · In Bear Spring Unit
DirectionsSouth Mountain2,428 ft elevation · In Bear Spring Unit
DirectionsColchester Mountain2,405 ft elevation
DirectionsCrane Hill2,323 ft elevation
DirectionsLoomis Mountain2,260 ft elevation
DirectionsMount Holly2,251 ft elevation
Directions4 more peaks
Dunk Hill2,185 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Hill2,182 ft elevation
DirectionsWalton Mountain2,146 ft elevation
DirectionsDunk Hill2,047 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Walton
Bear Spring Mountain - Launt PondFee · In Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area · NYDEC
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 11.1 miUnpaved · 2.7 mi
Launt Pond Spur0.6 mi
John Whalen Trail0.6 mi
Launt Pond Trail0.5 mi
Corral Spur0.2 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
7Tennis
3Baseball
3Soccer
3Basketball
2Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Gardiner Place Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itUS Post Office-WaltonBuilding · listed 1989
About itWalton Grange #1454-Former ArmoryBuilding · listed 1998
About itChrist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1999
About itFirst Congregational Church of WaltonBuilding · listed 2015
About itSecond Walton Armory (Thrity-third Separate Company)Building · listed 2016
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Walton: 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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Walton →
Next door
Walton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton | 11% | 0.3 | 48 | 55% | B+ |
| Tompkins | 26% | 0.3 | 3,035 | 10% | B+ |
| Hamden | 9% | 0.1 | 347 | 17% | B− |
| Colchester | 37% | 0.6 | 13,079 | 57% | A |
| Franklin | 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 20% | C |
| Sidney | 2% | 0.1 | 126 | 75% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Walton
Where can I hike in Walton?
The longest trail networks: Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area, 11.8 miles; Beerston Unit, 1.6 miles; More Park Unit, 0.7 miles; Austin Lincoln Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Walton is conserved land?
11% 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 Walton’s trails?
Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area and Beerston Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Walton?
39,979 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Walton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,882 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Walton have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #333 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 Walton 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 →