Sonyea State Forest
Nature preserve
292 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Engleside · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Sparta
West Sparta has 294 acres of parks, 269 for every 1,000 residents
3% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of West Sparta’s land is conserved, about 311 acres. 3.7 miles of mapped trail cross West Sparta, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
311 acres · of 33.5 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
294 ac
269 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is West Sparta?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Sparta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Sparta is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Sparta’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land269 acres of park per 1,000 residents (294 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home3% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 36%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. 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 Sonyea State Forest, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
311 conserved acres
1% of West Sparta’s land. Who manages West Sparta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation293 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)18 ac
State Conservation Area · 293 acConservation Easement · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 18 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonyea State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 293 | Open |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
EnglesideBuilding · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in West Sparta: May 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in West Sparta →
Next door
West Sparta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Sparta | 1% | 0.1 | 269 | 3% | C+ |
| North Dansville | 2% | 0.2 | 25 | 91% | B |
| Groveland | 6% | 0.1 | 208 | 48% | B |
| Ossian | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mount Morris | 15% | 0.7 | 1,121 | 81% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Sparta
Where can I hike in West Sparta?
The longest trail networks: Sonyea State Forest, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Sparta is conserved land?
1% 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 West Sparta’s trails?
Sonyea State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Sparta?
29,844 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Sparta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 294 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Sparta have?
Ahead of 36% 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 West Sparta 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 →