Pigtail Hollow State Forest
Nature preserve
850 acres2.2 mi of trail
Bristol Hills Branch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Wheeler
Wheeler has 1,603 acres of parks, 1,341 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Pigtail Hollow State Forest (2.2 mi), Urbana State Forest (1 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Wheeler’s land is conserved, about 1,593 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,593 acres · of 46.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,603 ac
1,341 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,886 ft
Wagner Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Wheeler?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wheeler have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wheeler is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. 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 Wheeler’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,341 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,603 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home14% 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 62%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Pigtail Hollow State Forest, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Urbana State Forest
Nature preserve
733 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,593 conserved acres
5% of Wheeler’s land. Who manages Wheeler’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation1,592 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,592 acLocal Park · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigtail Hollow State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 854 | Open |
| Urbana State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 738 | Open |
| Wheeler Community Club Lands Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Wheeler
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Wheeler
Wagner Hill1,886 ft elevation
DirectionsCance Hill1,847 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Bristol Hills Branch Trail5.6 mi
Finger Lakes / North Country Trail2.0 mi
Bristol Hills Branch of Finger Lakes Trail near Newton Rd1.0 mi
Finger Lakes Trail0.5 mi
When to get out
The best walking months in Wheeler: 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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wheeler →
Next door
Wheeler 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler | 5% | 0.4 | 1,341 | 14% | B |
| Urbana | 11% | 0.5 | 1,343 | 44% | A− |
| Avoca | under 1% | 0.1 | 7 | 41% | C− |
| Bath | 4% | 0.2 | 230 | 62% | B+ |
| Prattsburgh | 1% | 0.2 | 25 | 33% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wheeler
Where can I hike in Wheeler?
The longest trail networks: Pigtail Hollow State Forest, 2.2 miles; Urbana State Forest, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wheeler is conserved land?
5% 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 Wheeler’s trails?
Pigtail Hollow State Forest and Urbana State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wheeler?
15,212 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wheeler or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,603 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wheeler have?
Ahead of 62% 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 Wheeler 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 →