Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park | BOUNDARY OAK TRAIL

Boundary Oak Trail trailhead at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Boundary Oak Trail trailhead at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Length: .5-mile loop
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

The Boundary Oak Trail at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park begins to the left of the Memorial Building and finishes up on the backside of the building where the entrance is located. If you plan to hike the trail, do so before visiting the memorial. While the actual trail length is .3 mile, this only measures from the trailhead to the back of the building and does not account for the walk to and from the Birthplace Visitor Center. You have a half-mile hike if you consider the actual distance that must be covered.

View of the Boundary Oak Trail trailhead from the Memorial Building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

View of the Boundary Oak Trail trailhead from the Memorial Building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

The Boundary Oak was a tree that marked the western boundary of Sinking Spring Farm where Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. It is estimated to have been 30 years old when Lincoln was born, and it lived until dying of disease in 1976. It stood near the start of today’s Boundary Oak Trail, tough nothing remains of it today. The tree is very significant because Lincoln wrote that he was born in a cabin located on the knoll above Sinking Spring and about 150 yards east of the Boundary Oak. This information was used to establish the most likely location of his birth cabin.

The Boundary Oak Trail is a wide gravel path for its entire length. While you won’t get tripped up by roots and rocks, the terrain is quite hilly, with one of two major hills being almost tippy-toe steep—so steep that you must push off on the balls of your feet to make it up the hill. However, with the trail being only a third of a mile, the hills don’t last very long. You can get from the bottom to the top of these steep hills in fifteen seconds.

Steep hill on the Boundary Oak Trail at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Steep hill on the Boundary Oak Trail at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

There’s not much more to the hike. In ten minutes or so you will be at the back entrance to the Memorial Building. Without seeing the Boundary Oak there’s nothing of historical significance along the trail, and since Lincoln moved away when he was a little over two years old, you can’t even fantasize that you are walking in his footsteps. Thus, unless you just want to take a mildly-scenic route to the Memorial, there’s no reason to hike the Boundary Oak Trail.

Back entrance to the Memorial Building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Back entrance to the Memorial Building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Back to the Top


With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.

Last updated on June 18, 2024
Share this article