Bear Swamp
Nature preserve
307 acres1.7 mi of trail
Yellow TrailMemorial Stone Walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Westerlo
Westerlo has 510 acres of parks, 159 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bear Swamp (1.7 mi), Westerlo Veterans Memorial Town Park (1.2 mi). 8% of Westerlo’s land is conserved, about 2,943 acres. 16% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #536 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
2,943 acres · of 57.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
510 ac
159 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,745 ft
Still Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Westerlo?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Westerlo have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Westerlo is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #536 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 Westerlo’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land159 acres of park per 1,000 residents (510 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home16% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 51%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 29%
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 Bear Swamp, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Westerlo Veterans Memorial Town Park
Managed by Town of Westerlo
62 acres1.2 mi of trail
Red TrailRed/Orange TrailBlue/Orange TrailBlue Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Restifo Sanctuary
Managed by Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
55 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hannacroix Ravine
Park
32 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,943 conserved acres
8% of Westerlo’s land. Who manages Westerlo’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,191 ac
Regional Water Districts2,424 ac
Town or city69 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)13 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 2,424 acConservation Easement · 2,386 acPrivate Conservation · 818 acLocal Park · 69 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 13 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 22 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Water Board Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 2,215 | Unknown |
| Bear Swamp Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 701 | Open |
| Albany Water Board Corp , Council Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 209 | Unknown |
| Westerlo-Town Of Land Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Unknown |
| Hannacroix Ravine Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 62 | Open |
| Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 55 | Open |
| Town Of Westerlo Land Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Unknown |
Things to do
8 places to go in Westerlo
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Westerlo
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Westerlo
3 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Westerlo
Dickinson Falls
DirectionsScenic views in Westerlo
Rhododendron Swamp OverlookIn Bear Swamp
DirectionsPeaks in Westerlo
Still Hill1,745 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Yellow Trail1.5 mi
Red Trail0.2 mi
Red/Orange Trail0.2 mi
Blue/Orange Trail0.1 mi
Blue Trail0.1 mi
Memorial Stone Walk0.1 mi
Green/Red Trail0.1 mi
Red/Blue Trail0.1 mi
Orange Trail0.1 mi
Green Trail0.1 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
1Baseball
1Softball
1Basketball
1Pickleball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Westerlo: 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Westerlo →
Next door
Westerlo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerlo | 8% | 0.1 | 159 | 16% | B− |
| Rensselaerville | 14% | 0.3 | 2,241 | 35% | A− |
| Coeymans | 17% | 0.7 | 111 | 65% | A |
| New Scotland | 13% | 1.2 | 278 | 60% | A |
| Greenville | 1% | 0.2 | 70 | 26% | C+ |
| Berne | 18% | 0.7 | 1,041 | 26% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Westerlo
Where can I hike in Westerlo?
The longest trail networks: Bear Swamp, 1.7 miles; Westerlo Veterans Memorial Town Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Westerlo is conserved land?
8% 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 Westerlo’s trails?
Bear Swamp and Westerlo Veterans Memorial Town Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Westerlo?
36,964 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Westerlo or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 510 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Westerlo have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #536 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 Westerlo 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 →