Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Oswego has 62 acres of parks, 7.4 for every 1,000 residents
2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Oswego, 0.1 per square mile of land. 3% of Oswego’s land is conserved, about 481 acres. 60% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 34% of U.S. towns · #674 of 758 in New York. What drives it
How much outdoors does Oswego have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oswego is ahead of 34% of U.S. towns, #674 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
Water is 7% of Oswego’s area (2 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
481 conserved acres
3% of Oswego’s land. Water is left out: Oswego has 27.3 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Oswego’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 63 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fen at Silver Lake Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 160 | Closed |
| Metropolitan Water Board Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 73 | Unknown |
| Snake Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 67 | Closed |
| County Of Oswego Land Local Park | County | 57 | Unknown |
| Rathburn Road Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 53 | Closed |
| Cayuga County Real Property R Land Local Park | County | 5 | Unknown |
| Town Of Oswego Land Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Unknown |
| Oswego Town Lands Local Resource Management Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
13 places to go in Oswego
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
2 lakes & rivers
0.9 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Oswego: 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Oswego →
Oswego and its neighbors
Oswego has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oswego | 3% | 0.1 | 7 | 60% | C |
| SUNY Oswego | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sterling | 9% | 0.6 | 878 | 59% | A− |
| Hannibal | under 1% | under 0.1 | 16 | 24% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oswego
How much of Oswego 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 Oswego’s trails?
Village Commons Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oswego?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oswego?
7,468 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oswego or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 62 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oswego have?
Ahead of 34% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #674 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 Oswego 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 →