New York · Hiking

Oxbow Trail

1.0 mi
loop
390 ft
high point
Loop
route
Easy
difficulty
Aug–Sep
best months

Oxbow Trail is a short, easy hike of about a mile on Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The route is nearly flat, with a high point of about 390 feet and a low of about 378 feet, and the steepest stretch comes early on, at about 4% grade. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Auburn show May highs around 69°F and September highs around 72°F, with July the warmest month at about 81°F. Several other trails sit within a couple of miles, including Aqueduct Trail and Lavoy's Trail at about 1.4 miles and Drumlin Trail at about 1.6 miles. Paddlers can reach the Cayuga-Seneca Canal Water Trail about 6.5 miles away.

  • Best time to go · Aug–Sep

    Best time to visit Oxbow Trail

    Best months: August–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      31° / 15°

      19 wet

    2. Feb

      33° / 16°

      15 wet

    3. Mar

      42° / 23°

      15 wet

    4. Apr

      55° / 34°

      15 wet

    5. May

      69° / 45°

      15 wet

    6. Jun

      77° / 55°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      81° / 60°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      80° / 59°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      72° / 51°

      11 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 41°

      16 wet

    11. Nov

      47° / 32°

      17 wet

    12. Dec

      37° / 23°

      19 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Auburn, NY, 10.5 mi away at 770 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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0.48-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 57 ft gain

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Drumlin TrailPhoto: Carrotflower Productions International, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Lavoy's TrailPhoto: seabamirum, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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~2 min drive

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Cato-Fairhaven Trail

~35 min drive

25.42-mile out-and-back hike in New York with 1,708 ft gain and 486 ft max elevation.

Locktender's TrailPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Locktender's Trail

~3 min drive

0.30-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 82 ft gain

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors