Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
Managed by Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board
2,489 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5COutdoors
Outdoors in Arena
Arena has 149 acres of parks, 99 for every 1,000 residents
8% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.4 miles of mapped trail cross Arena. 2% of Arena’s land is conserved, about 1,079 acres.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
1,079 acres · of 78.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.4 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
149 ac
99 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,161 ft
Indian Castle
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Arena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Arena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Arena is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Arena’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%C+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 (149 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 32%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arena High School Woods
Nature preserve
112 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Arena Pines & Sand Barrens State Natural Area
Nature preserve
78 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,079 conserved acres
2% of Arena’s land. Who manages Arena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners450 ac
State natural resources289 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)177 ac
Bureau of Land Management167 ac
Private Conservation · 450 acConservation Easement · 183 acNational Public Lands · 167 acState Recreation Area · 146 acState Conservation Area · 136 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 180 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Private Conservation | Private owners | 586 | Closed |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 167 | Open |
| Trout Creek Fishery Area-Iowa State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 146 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Arena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Arena
Arena landing
DirectionsPeaks in Arena
Indian Castle1,161 ft elevation
DirectionsPine Knob1,073 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
William Henry Brisbane HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Arena
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
January is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Arena →
Next door
Arena and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brigham40 miMazomanie26 miWyoming16 miRidgeway6.7 miVermont3.5 miSpring Green3.4 miTroy1.7 miArena1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arena | 2% | under 0.1 | 99 | 8% | C |
| Troy | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Spring Green | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wyoming | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brigham | 13% | 0.6 | 2,715 | 33% | A− |
| Ridgeway | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mazomanie | 7% | 0.9 | 1,401 | 26% | A− |
| Vermont | — 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 Arena
How much of Arena is conserved land?
2% 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 Arena’s trails?
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway and Arena High School Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Arena?
14,854 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Arena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 316 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Arena have?
Ahead of 32% 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 Arena 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 →