Photo: Pubdog · Public domainLancaster has 820 acres of parks, 18 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Como Lake Park (1.7 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Lancaster, 0.5 per square mile of land. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #412 of 758 in New York. What drives it
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lancaster is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #412 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
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 Como Lake Park, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Walden Pond Park
All 12 parks & preserves
776 conserved acres
3% of Lancaster’s land. Who manages Lancaster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Of Erie - Parks Land Local Park | County | 367 | Open |
| Town Of Lancaster Land Local Park | Town or city | 260 | Unknown |
| Westwood Park State Park | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| County Of Erie Parks Dept Land Local Park | County | 132 | Unknown |
| Keysa Park State Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Erie County Parks Dept Land Local Park | County | 5 | Unknown |
| Mechanic Street Courts And Playground State Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Erie County Water Authority Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 3 | Unknown |
| Veteran'S Park State Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Village Of Depew Park Land Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in Lancaster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
9.8 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.
16 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
4 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Lancaster: May to August
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 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 34 | 43 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Lancaster →
Lancaster and its neighbors
Lancaster has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 3% | 0.5 | 18 | 76% | B |
| Elma | 5% | 0.6 | 41 | 37% | B |
| Cheektowaga | 5% | 0.5 | 11 | 96% | B+ |
| Clarence | 5% | 0.3 | 17 | 60% | B |
| Alden | 3% | 0.1 | 10 | 43% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lancaster
Where can I hike in Lancaster?
The longest trail networks: Como Lake Park, 1.7 miles; Westwood Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lancaster is conserved land?
3% 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 Lancaster’s trails?
Como Lake Park and Westwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lancaster?
9.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of painted or protected lanes and 5.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lancaster?
16,533 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lancaster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 820 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #412 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 Lancaster 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 →