Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Oakland has 23 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
17% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Oakland’s land is conserved, about 278 acres. 48 acres are parks and preserves, 7.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #111 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Oakland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Oakland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oakland is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns, #111 of 143 in Maine. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Water is 9% of Oakland’s area (2 of 28 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Pleasant Point Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wrigley Recreation Area
Oakland Overlook
278 conserved acres
2% of Oakland’s land. Water is left out: Oakland has 25.7 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Oakland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 218 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 217 | Unknown |
| Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 50 | Closed |
| Salmon Lake (adjacent) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| The Narrows Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Closed |
| East Pond Access Local Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 5 | Restricted |
| Snow Pond State Park | State parks | 3 | Closed |
| Willey Parcel Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Closed |
| Messalonskee Lake (adjacent) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
6 places to go in Oakland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
7 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Oakland: May 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 40 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 57 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Oakland →
Oakland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 2% | 0.9 | 8 | 17% | C+ |
| Belgrade | 4% | 1.2 | 6 | 12% | C+ |
| Waterville | 6% | 1.3 | 13 | 77% | A− |
| Smithfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sidney | 2% | 0.7 | 9 | 2% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oakland
Where can I hike in Oakland?
The longest trail networks: Pleasant Point Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oakland is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 6% for a Maine town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Oakland’s trails?
Pleasant Point Park and Wrigley Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oakland?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oakland?
2,410 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oakland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oakland have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #111 of 143 in Maine. 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 Oakland neighbors.
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 →