Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
2,282 acres5.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Alabama
33% of Alabama’s land is conserved: 8,877 acres
The biggest trail networks: Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area (5.9 mi), Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (5.1 mi), John White Wildlife Management Area (2 mi). 22 miles of mapped trail cross Alabama, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
8,877 acres · of 42.4 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
738 ft
Nichols Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Alabama?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alabama have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alabama is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Alabama’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% 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 D 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 Tonawanda WMA, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
5,397 acres5.1 mi of trail
Onondaga TrailVisitor Center TrailSwallow Hollow TrailKanyoo Nature Trail Blue Loop+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
John White Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
324 acres2 mi of trail
Handicap vehicle accessRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
690 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Who protects it
8,877 conserved acres
33% of Alabama’s land. Who manages Alabama’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service10,759 ac
State conservation3,337 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)99 ac
American Indian Lands49 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits45 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 10,759 acState Resource Management Area · 3,337 acConservation Easement · 99 acNative American Land Area · 49 acPrivate Conservation · 45 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 99 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 10,759 | Restricted |
| Tonawanda Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 2,318 | Open |
| Oak Orchard Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 693 | Open |
| John White Wma State Resource Management Area | State conservation | 326 | Open |
| Tonawanda Indian Reservation Native American Land Area | American Indian Lands | 49 | Unknown |
| Counterfeiter'S Ledge Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 22 | Restricted |
| Counterfeiter's Ledge Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 22 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Alabama
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Alabama
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Alabama
Oak Orchard River public fishing areaIn Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsPlus 1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Alabama
Cayuga OverlookIn Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Alabama
Nichols Hill738 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
West Shore Railroad5.1 mi
Onondaga Trail1.2 mi
Visitor Center Trail0.7 mi
Swallow Hollow Trail0.6 mi
Kanyoo Nature Trail Blue Loop0.6 mi
Handicap vehicle access0.5 mi
Red Trail0.3 mi
Kanyoo Nature Trail Yellow Loop0.2 mi
Kanyoo Nature Trail0.2 mi
Sour Springs Road Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Alabama: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 33 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Alabama →
Next door
Alabama and its neighbors
Alabama has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 33% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Pembroke | 1% | 0.1 | 31 | 20% | C |
| Shelby | 19% | 0.1 | 6 | 56% | B− |
| Oakfield | 12% | 0.4 | 3 | 61% | B− |
| Royalton | 8% | 0.1 | 42 | 52% | B |
| Newstead | 2% | 0.5 | 53 | 46% | B |
| Barre | under 1% | under 0.1 | 22 | 6% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Alabama
Where can I hike in Alabama?
The longest trail networks: Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, 5.9 miles; Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, 5.1 miles; John White Wildlife Management Area, 2 miles; Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alabama is conserved land?
33% 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 Alabama’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Alabama?
13,969 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alabama or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,349 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Alabama 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 Alabama 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 →