Washington Square
Managed by City of Oswego
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Oswego
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Oswego
5% of Oswego’s land is conserved, about 236 acres. 3.4 miles of mapped trail cross Oswego, 0.4 per square mile of land. 251 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #321 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
236 acres · of 7.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
251 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
2.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Oswego?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oswego have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oswego is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #321 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oswego’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (251 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home96% 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 73%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 58%
Water is 32% of Oswego’s area (4 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Washington Square, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Ontario State Historic Site
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
64 acres0.3 mi of trail
O&W Pedestrian Promenade and Bikeway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Washington Square5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Oswego
DirectionsFort Ontario State Historic Site64 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsFranklin Square6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBreitbeck Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShapiro Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Wright's Landing10 acres
DirectionsLinear Park West4 acres · City of Oswego
DirectionsKingsford Park3 acres
DirectionsLakeside Park2 acres
Oak Hill Park2 acres · City of Oswego
Montcalm Park1 acres
Sheldon Beach Park1 acres
DirectionsHamilton Park1 acres
Who protects it
236 conserved acres
5% of Oswego’s land. Water is left out: Oswego has 7.6 square miles of land and 3.6 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.
Town or city104 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government58 ac
County40 ac
State parks36 ac
Other state land18 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Private owners1 ac
Local Park · 201 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 36 acState Recreation Area · 18 acLocal Other or Unknown · 2 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Of Oswego Land Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Unknown |
| County Park Local Park | County | 40 | Open |
| Fort Ontario Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 37 | Open |
| Fort Ontario State Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 36 | Open |
| Oswego Softball Fields Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 20 | Open |
| Oswego Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 18 | Open |
| West Side Riverfront Linear Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Franklin Square Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Breitbeck Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Kingsford Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Oswego
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Oswego
Breitbeck Park PlaygroundIn Breitbeck Park
DirectionsEast ParkIn Washington Square
DirectionsOak Hill PlaygroundIn Oak Hill Park
DirectionsWest ParkIn Franklin Square
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Oswego
Oswego Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Oswego
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Oswego
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Oswego
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Walkway0.1 mi
O&W Pedestrian Promenade and Bikeway0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Baseball
16Tennis
4Basketball
2Multi-sport
2Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Lacrosse
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →34 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Fort OntarioDistrict · listed 1970
About itOswego City LibraryBuilding · listed 1971
About itOswego City HallBuilding · listed 1973
About itMarket HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itRichardson-Bates HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itWalton and Willett Stone StoreBuilding · listed 1976
About itU.S. CustomhouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itSheldon HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itFranklin Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itPontiac HotelBuilding · listed 1983
About itOswego ArmoryBuilding · listed 1988
About it22 more on the History page.
When to get out
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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 41 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Oswego →
Next door
Oswego and its neighbors
Oswego has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 96% | B+ |
| Scriba | 4% | 0.2 | 31 | 17% | C+ |
| SUNY Oswego | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oswego
Where can I hike in Oswego?
The longest trail networks: Washington Square, 0.4 miles; Fort Ontario State Historic Site, 0.3 miles; Franklin Square, 0.3 miles; Breitbeck Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oswego is conserved land?
5% 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?
Washington Square and Fort Ontario State Historic Site don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oswego?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oswego?
3,970 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oswego or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 251 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Oswego have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #321 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.
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 →