Photo: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.098% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Beaver Dam
1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Beaver Dam, 0.1 per square mile of land. 273 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Beaver Dam’s land is conserved, about 222 acres.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #212 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Beaver Dam?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Beaver Dam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Beaver Dam is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #212 of 362 in Wisconsin. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Water is 14% of Beaver Dam’s area (1 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Swan Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
YMCA of Dodge County Park
Edgewater Park
All 14 parks & preserves
222 conserved acres
4% of Beaver Dam’s land. Water is left out: Beaver Dam has 8.8 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Beaver Dam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewater Park Local Park | Town or city | 151 | Open |
| Athletic Field Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Swan City Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lakeview Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Minnie'S Meadow Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Waterworks Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Smythe Court Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Tahoe Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Vo-Tech Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
18 places to go in Beaver Dam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Beaver Dam
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Beaver Dam →
Beaver Dam and its neighbors
Beaver Dam has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Dam | 4% | 0.1 | 16 | 98% | B |
| Westford | 8% | under 0.1 | 52 | 5% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Beaver Dam
Where can I hike in Beaver Dam?
The longest trail networks: Swan Park, 0.3 miles; YMCA of Dodge County Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Beaver Dam 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 Beaver Dam’s trails?
Swan Park and YMCA of Dodge County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Beaver Dam?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Beaver Dam?
14,664 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beaver Dam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 273 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Beaver Dam have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 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 Beaver Dam neighbors.
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 →