Old Croton Aqueduct State Park
Park
44 acres3.4 mi of trail
Old Croton Aqueduct Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ossining
9% of Ossining’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
18 miles of mapped trail cross Ossining, 1.6 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Old Croton Aqueduct State Park (3.4 mi), Pocantico Park (1.5 mi), Crawbuckie Nature Preserve (1.1 mi). 9% of Ossining’s land is conserved, about 648 acres.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #137 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
648 acres · of 11.6 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
551 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.1 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 2.3 mi paths
Highest peak
486 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ossining?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ossining have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ossining is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #137 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ossining’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (551 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 82%
Water is 26% of Ossining’s area (4 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Old Croton Aqueduct State Park, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pocantico Park
Managed by Village of Briarcliff Manor
64 acres1.5 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue TrailYellow TrailRed / Yellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Crawbuckie Nature Preserve
Managed by Town of Ossining
35 acres1.1 mi of trail
Hudson LoopChickadee Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Louis Engel Waterfront Park
Managed by Village of Ossining
6 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Old Croton Aqueduct State Park44 acres · 3.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPocantico Park64 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Village of Briarcliff Manor
DirectionsCrawbuckie Nature Preserve35 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Ossining
DirectionsLouis Engel Waterfront Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Village of Ossining
DirectionsWalter W. Law Memorial Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard Wishnie Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Lane Park25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Ossining Recreation & Parks Department
DirectionsRyder Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPocantico Lake County Park26 acres · Westchester County
DirectionsTommy Thurber Preserve12 acres
Nelson Park9 acres
DirectionsGerlach Park9 acres · Ossining Recreation & Parks Department
DirectionsNelson Sitting Park3 acres
DirectionsSnowden Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
648 conserved acres
9% of Ossining’s land. Water is left out: Ossining has 11.6 square miles of land and 4.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ossining’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city531 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits69 ac
Other state land66 ac
County57 ac
State parks45 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government28 ac
Private owners24 ac
Local Park · 599 acState Resource Management Area · 66 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 45 acOther Easement · 29 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 43 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Ossining Land Local Park | Town or city | 112 | Unknown |
| Village Of Ossining Land Local Park | Town or city | 94 | Unknown |
| Village Of Briarcliff Manor Land Local Park | Town or city | 87 | Unknown |
| Pine Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 72 | Open |
| Sing Sing State Correctional Facility State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 66 | Open |
| Ryder Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 45 | Open |
| Village Of Briarcliff Land Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Unknown |
| Pocantico Lake County Park Local Park | County | 30 | Open |
| Village Of Ossining Water Comm Land Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Ossining
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ossining
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Ossining
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Ossining
Briarcliff Swimming PoolIn Walter W. Law Memorial Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ossining
15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Ossining
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Ossining
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Ossining
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ossining
Ossining Double Arch viewing platformIn Old Croton Aqueduct State Park
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Ossining
Prospect Hill486 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.8 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 7.1 mi
Old Croton Aqueduct Trail3.9 mi
Kate Kennard Trail0.8 mi
Red Trail0.7 mi
Hudson Loop0.7 mi
Briarcliff-Peekskill Trail0.5 mi
Blue Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Trail0.4 mi
Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway0.3 mi
Brookside Trail0.2 mi
Chickadee Trail0.1 mi
2 more trails
Sing Sing Kill Greenway
0.1 miRed / Yellow Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
3.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Tennis
19Baseball
13Basketball
11Soccer
11Pickleball
3Football
1Skate park
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
First Baptist Church of OssiningBuilding · listed 1973
About itJug TavernBuilding · listed 1976
About itSt. Paul's Episcopal Church and RectoryBuilding · listed 1978
About itBrandreth Pill FactoryBuilding · listed 1980
About itHighland CottageBuilding · listed 1982
About itScarborough Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itWashington SchoolBuilding · listed 1987
About itRichard Austin HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itDowntown Ossining Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989
About itAll Saints Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2002
About itDale CemeterySite · listed 2013
About itRobinwood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ossining: April to June, August and 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ossining →
Next door
Ossining and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mount Pleasant76 miCortlandt69 miClarkstown40 miNew Castle28 miOssining18 miCroton-on-Hudson18 miBriarcliff Manor12 miUpper Nyack4.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ossining | 9% | 1.6 | 14 | 98% | A |
| Mount Pleasant | 25% | 2.8 | 88 | 94% | A+ |
| Croton-on-Hudson | 24% | 3.7 | 91 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Cortlandt | 23% | 1.8 | 106 | 94% | A+ |
| Briarcliff Manor | 6% | 1.9 | 31 | 97% | A |
| Clarkstown | 15% | 1.0 | 42 | 89% | A |
| New Castle | 12% | 1.2 | 97 | 94% | A+ |
| Upper Nyack | 27% | 3.6 | 99 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ossining
Where can I hike in Ossining?
The longest trail networks: Old Croton Aqueduct State Park, 3.4 miles; Pocantico Park, 1.5 miles; Crawbuckie Nature Preserve, 1.1 miles; Louis Engel Waterfront Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ossining is conserved land?
9% 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 Ossining’s trails?
Old Croton Aqueduct State Park and Pocantico Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ossining?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 2.3 of off-road paths and 3.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ossining?
48,164 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ossining or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 617 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ossining have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #137 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 Ossining 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 →