Pike Hole (WDNR)
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
21 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Alden
Alden has 297 acres of parks, 99 for every 1,000 residents
1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Alden. 19% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Alden’s land is conserved, about 1,333 acres.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns · #309 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,333 acres · of 55.8 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
297 ac
99 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
19%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
19
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Alden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alden is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns, #309 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Alden’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land99 acres of park per 1,000 residents (297 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home19% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 39%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 15%
Water is 6% of Alden’s area (3 of 59 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Pike Hole (WDNR), with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Flaters Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
128 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Houghdahl South Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
60 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Suckut Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
52 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Pike Hole (WDNR)21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Flaters Waterfowl Production Area128 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Houghdahl South Waterfowl Production Area60 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Suckut Waterfowl Production Area52 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Alden Waterfowl Production Area37 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Bierbrauer Waterfowl Production Area10 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Who protects it
1,333 conserved acres
4% of Alden’s land. Water is left out: Alden has 55.8 square miles of land and 3.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Alden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,292 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service860 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits132 ac
County99 ac
Resource Management Area · 819 acState Recreation Area · 766 acState Conservation Area · 557 acAgricultural Easement · 132 acState Other or Unknown · 68 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Creek State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 502 | Open |
| Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 431 | Restricted |
| Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Of Wi Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 428 | Restricted |
| Western Prairie Habitat Restoration State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 418 | Restricted |
| Spring Meadow State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 169 | Open |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 99 | Restricted |
| Statewide Spring Ponds State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 67 | Open |
| Wagon Landing Statewide Spring Pond State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 67 | Open |
| Western Prairie Habitat Restoration 15 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 40 | Open |
| Rem-Apple River State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 28 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in Alden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Alden
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
19 lakes & rivers
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
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Alden
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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Alden →
Next door
Alden and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Osceola8.6 miGarfield7.0 miFarmington6.7 miBlack Brook5.2 miAlden1.1 miStar Prairie0.0 miStanton0.0 miStar Prairie0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alden | 4% | under 0.1 | 99 | 19% | C+ |
| Garfield | 1% | 0.2 | 198 | 25% | C+ |
| Black Brook | 3% | 0.2 | 121 | 14% | B− |
| Farmington | 9% | 0.2 | 31 | 4% | B− |
| Star Prairie | 4% | under 0.1 | 22 | 7% | C |
| Stanton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Star Prairie | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Osceola | — 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 Alden
Where can I hike in Alden?
The longest trail networks: Pike Hole (WDNR), 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alden is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Wisconsin town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Alden’s trails?
Pike Hole (WDNR) and Flaters Waterfowl Production Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Alden?
15,954 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 297 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Alden have?
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #309 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Alden 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 →