Oxbow Falls Park
Managed by Madison County
46 acres0.8 mi of trail
Red PathYellow Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lenox District No. 4 Schoolhouse · Photo: Beangus · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lincoln
Lincoln has 198 acres of parks, 113 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Oxbow Falls Park (0.8 mi). 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Lincoln’s land is conserved, about 208 acres.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
208 acres · of 25.0 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
198 ac
113 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,493 ft
Cranson Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Lincoln?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lincoln have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lincoln is ahead of 48% 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 Lincoln’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land113 acres of park per 1,000 residents (198 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home29% 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 48%
LessMore
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 Oxbow Falls Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
208 conserved acres
1% of Lincoln’s land. Who manages Lincoln’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County251 ac
State parks68 ac
Other state land41 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)10 ac
Local Park · 251 acState Recreation Area · 110 acConservation Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 9 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County Land Local Park | County | 126 | Unknown |
| Oxbow Falls Park Local Park | County | 125 | Open |
| Lehigh Valley Trail State Recreation Area | State parks | 68 | Open |
| Canastota Cazenovia State Trailway State Recreation Area | Other state land | 41 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Lincoln
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Lincoln
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Lincoln
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lincoln
Cranson Hill1,493 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Lincoln
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Lincoln
14In Oxbow Falls Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Link Trail4.1 mi
Red Path0.9 mi
Yellow Path0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Lenox District No. 4 SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lincoln: 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Lincoln →
Next door
Lincoln 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | 1% | 0.3 | 113 | 29% | B− |
| Lenox | 8% | 0.3 | 22 | 72% | B+ |
| Oneida | 2% | 0.7 | 35 | 87% | B+ |
| Stockbridge | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Fenner | 2% | 0.2 | 67 | 25% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lincoln
Where can I hike in Lincoln?
The longest trail networks: Oxbow Falls Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lincoln is conserved land?
1% 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 Lincoln’s trails?
Oxbow Falls Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lincoln?
9,717 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lincoln or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 198 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lincoln have?
Ahead of 48% 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 Lincoln 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 →