Oakley Corners State Forest
Managed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
893 acres13.3 mi of trail
Y1Snowmobile TrailB2Y2+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Owego
Owego has 1,448 acres of parks, 77 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Oakley Corners State Forest (13.3 mi), Waterman Conservation Education Center (3.2 mi), Hiawatha Island and River Front Park (1.4 mi). 51% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Owego’s land is conserved, about 1,529 acres.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #498 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
1,529 acres · of 104.2 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,448 ac
77 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,604 ft
Cafferty Hill
Lakes & rivers
7
3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Owego have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Owego is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #498 of 758 in New York. 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 Owego’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land77 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,448 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home51% 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 56%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 34%
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 Oakley Corners State Forest, with 13.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waterman Conservation Education Center
Nature preserve
98 acres3.2 mi of trail
Red TrailWest Loop (yellow)Blue TrailGreen Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Hiawatha Island and River Front Park
Managed by Waterman Conservation Education Center
118 acres1.4 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Apalachin Marsh
Nature preserve
97 acres1.1 mi of trail
Apalachin Marsh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
Oakley Corners State Forest893 acres · 13.3 mi of trail · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DirectionsWaterman Conservation Education Center98 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHiawatha Island and River Front Park118 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Waterman Conservation Education Center
DirectionsApalachin Marsh97 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDraper Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHickories Park126 acres
DirectionsTracy Creek State Forest76 acres
Campville Commons38 acres
Marvin Park34 acres
DirectionsBrick Pond Wetland Preserve25 acres
Hyde Park11 acres
DirectionsMuth Park10 acres
DirectionsEric Alzate Memorial Park4 acres
Town of Owego Boat Launch3 acres · Town of Owego
DirectionsTioga Boulevard Park1 acres
Halstead Playground1 acres
Who protects it
1,529 conserved acres
2% of Owego’s land. Who manages Owego’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation963 ac
Town or city407 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits173 ac
County109 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government62 ac
Regional agency1 ac
State Conservation Area · 963 acLocal Park · 570 acUnknown Easement · 146 acLocal Conservation Area · 23 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 146 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley Corners State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 885 | Open |
| Town Of Owego Land Local Park | Town or city | 200 | Unknown |
| Hickories Park Local Park | Town or city | 127 | Open |
| County Forest Local Park | County | 109 | Open |
| Tracy Creek State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 78 | Open |
| Campville Commons Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| West Main Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 37 | Open |
| Marvin Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 25 | Open |
| Brick Pond Wetland Preserve Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Open |
| Village of Owego Land Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Owego
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Owego
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Owego
Hickories Dog ParkIn Hickories Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Owego
Apalachin Bridge Boat Launch
DirectionsHickories Park Boat LaunchIn Hickories Park
DirectionsMarshland Road Boat Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Owego
Cafferty Hill1,604 ft elevation
DirectionsLillie Hill1,601 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Beecher Hill1,345 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Owego
4 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.5 miUnpaved · 17.4 mi
Red Trail2.0 mi
Y11.9 mi
Snowmobile Trail1.6 mi
B21.4 mi
Y21.1 mi
Apalachin Marsh Trail1.1 mi
Y61.0 mi
B11.0 mi
R30.9 mi
Y50.9 mi
15 more trails
Blue Trail
0.7 miWest Loop (yellow)
0.7 miB3
0.7 miY4
0.7 miB6
0.6 miYellow Trail
0.4 miR2
0.4 miB7
0.4 miY7
0.4 miB4
0.3 miB5
0.3 miGreen Trail
0.3 miR1
0.3 miConnector Trail
0.3 miWest Gorge Trail (green)
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
21Baseball
15Tennis
8Soccer
5Football
4Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Tioga County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOwego Central Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itUS Post Office-OwegoBuilding · listed 1989
About itSt. Paul's ChurchBuilding · listed 1997
About itHiawatha FarmBuilding · listed 1998
About itWaits Methodist Episcopal Church and CemeteryBuilding · listed 2000
About itEvergreen CemeterySite · listed 2002
About itJames C. Beecher HouseBuilding · listed 2012
About itRiverside CemeteryDistrict · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Owego: May, July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Owego →
Next door
Owego and its neighbors
Owego has the most mapped trails of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owego | 2% | 0.3 | 77 | 51% | B |
| Tioga | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 4% | D |
| Candor | 3% | 0.1 | 284 | 25% | B− |
| Nichols | under 1% | 0.1 | 8 | 22% | D |
| Newark Valley | 4% | 0.3 | 341 | 40% | B |
| Union | 3% | 0.5 | 11 | 88% | B |
| Vestal | 3% | 0.5 | 37 | 77% | B+ |
| Maine | 1% | 0.1 | 59 | 28% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Owego
Where can I hike in Owego?
The longest trail networks: Oakley Corners State Forest, 13.3 miles; Waterman Conservation Education Center, 3.2 miles; Hiawatha Island and River Front Park, 1.4 miles; Apalachin Marsh, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Owego is conserved land?
2% 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 Owego’s trails?
Oakley Corners State Forest and Waterman Conservation Education Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Owego?
16,327 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Owego or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,448 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Owego have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #498 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 Owego 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 →