Jackson County Forest
Managed by Jackson County
5,412 acres1.5 mi of trail
Merrilian to Marshfield
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Alma
Alma has 5,621 acres of parks, 6,513 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Alma’s land is conserved, about 5,606 acres. The biggest trail networks: Jackson County Forest (1.5 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
5,606 acres · of 58.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,621 ac
6,513 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,214 ft
Saddle Mound
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Alma?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Alma have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Alma is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. 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 Alma’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land6,513 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,621 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home14% 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 59%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Jackson County Forest, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Clark County Forest
Nature preserve
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
5,606 conserved acres
15% of Alma’s land. Who manages Alma’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County5,323 ac
State natural resources305 ac
Local Conservation Area · 5,298 acState Recreation Area · 305 acState Conservation Area · 25 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 5,294 | Open |
| Halls (Stockwell) Creek Fishery Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 285 | Open |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 25 | Restricted |
| Scattered Wildlife - Wd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 20 | Open |
| Clark County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 4 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Alma
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Alma
Saddle Mound1,214 ft elevation
DirectionsStanley Mound1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsSmall Mound968 ft elevation · In Jackson County Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Alma
Camp NCN North
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miUnpaved · 1.6 mi
Merrilian to Marshfield1.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Alma
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Alma →
Next door
Alma and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dewhurst38 miMentor3.8 miHewett3.7 miAlma3.2 miGarden Valley1.7 miAlma Center1.7 miAdams1.5 miHixton1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | 15% | 0.1 | 6,513 | 14% | B |
| Garden Valley | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Adams | 5% | under 0.1 | 23 | 21% | C+ |
| Alma Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dewhurst | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hixton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mentor | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hewett | — 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 Alma
Where can I hike in Alma?
The longest trail networks: Jackson County Forest, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Alma is conserved land?
15% 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 Alma’s trails?
Jackson County Forest and Clark County Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Alma?
139,181 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Alma or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,621 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Alma have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Alma 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 →