Prentice Park
Managed by City of Ashland
97 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Billertl · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ashland
Ashland has 383 acres of parks, 48 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Prentice Park (0.6 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5.6 miles of mapped trail cross Ashland, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #123 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
382 acres · of 13.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.6 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
383 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
3.3 mi lanes · 8.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Ashland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ashland is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #123 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ashland’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (383 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 66%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Prentice Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oredock Park
Managed by City of Ashland
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bayview Park
Managed by City of Ashland
22 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Prentice Park97 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Ashland
DirectionsOredock Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Ashland
DirectionsBayview Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Ashland
DirectionsBeaser Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Ashland
DirectionsKreher Park29 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsHodgkins Park19 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsCentral Railyard Park11 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsHot Pond Park9 acres
DirectionsMaslowski Beach7 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsMemorial Park4 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsAshland County Forest3 acres
DirectionsEllis Park3 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsMarina Park3 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsMarina Overlook Park3 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsPenn Park2 acres · City of Ashland
East End Skating Rink2 acres · City of Ashland
Howard Pearson Plaza Park1 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsWest End Skating Rink1 acres · City of Ashland
DirectionsWho protects it
382 conserved acres
4% of Ashland’s land. Who manages Ashland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners191 ac
Town or city189 ac
Private Park · 191 acLocal Park · 162 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elks Club Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 191 | Open |
| Prentice Park Local Park | Town or city | 96 | Open |
| Bayview Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Hodgkins Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Kreher Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Central Railyard Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Ashland Ore Dock Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Beaser Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Weikal Field Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Ashland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ashland
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ashland
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ashland
10th Avenue West Scenic OverlookIn Hot Pond Park
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Ashland
Kreher RV ParkIn Kreher Park · City of Ashland
DirectionsPrentice Park CampgroundFee · In Prentice Park · City of Ashland
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Ashland
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
15Soccer
9Baseball
8Tennis
3Basketball
3Football
2Beach volleyball
2Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Old Ashland Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1974
About itSecurity Savings BankBuilding · listed 1974
About itWheeler Hall, Northland CollegeBuilding · listed 1977
About itUnion DepotBuilding · listed 1979
About itBeaser SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itEllis SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itWilmarth SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itAshland County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWest Second Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itSoo Line DepotBuilding · listed 1988
About itMemorial HallBuilding · listed 1995
About itWakefield HallBuilding · listed 1995
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Ashland
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) | 9.0 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 76 | 68 | 54 | 40 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
February is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ashland →
Next door
Ashland and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 4% | 0.4 | 48 | 89% | A− |
| Gingles | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Eileen | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sanborn | under 1% | 0.2 | 254 | 45% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ashland
Where can I hike in Ashland?
The longest trail networks: Prentice Park, 0.6 miles; Oredock Park, 0.4 miles; Bayview Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ashland 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 Ashland’s trails?
Prentice Park and Oredock Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ashland?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.3 of painted or protected lanes, 8.6 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ashland?
19,619 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ashland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 383 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ashland have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #123 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 Ashland 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 →