Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
132 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Black Brook
Black Brook has 216 acres of parks, 121 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area (1.7 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5.2 miles of mapped trail cross Black Brook, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
755 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
216 ac
121 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
9
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Black Brook?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Black Brook have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Black Brook is ahead of 47% 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 Black Brook’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land121 acres of park per 1,000 residents (216 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks 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 47%
LessMore
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 Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Boe Waterfowl Production Area
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
47 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Snake Creek State Public Fishing Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
197 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
State of Wisconsin Lands
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
145 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area132 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBoe Waterfowl Production Area47 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Snake Creek State Public Fishing Area197 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
State of Wisconsin Lands145 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Houghdahl North Waterfowl Production Area95 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Black Brook County Park2 acres · Polk County
DirectionsBlack Brook Flowage Access1 acres · Polk County, Wisconsin
DirectionsWho protects it
755 conserved acres
3% of Black Brook’s land. Who manages Black Brook’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service549 ac
State natural resources479 ac
County204 ac
Resource Management Area · 549 acState Recreation Area · 479 acState Conservation Area · 204 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 274 | Restricted |
| Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Of Wi Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 273 | Restricted |
| Black Brook State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 204 | Open |
| Snake Creek Spring State Habitat Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 149 | Restricted |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 114 | Restricted |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 90 | Restricted |
| Parker Creek State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 79 | Open |
| Rem-Snake Creek Spring State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 47 | Restricted |
| St. Croix County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
5 places to go in Black Brook
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Black Brook
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Black Brook
Black Brook Flowage AccessIn Black Brook Flowage Access
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Black Brook
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Sawmill County Trail1.5 mi
When to get out
The walking year in Black Brook
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) | 22 | 28 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Black Brook →
Next door
Black Brook and its neighbors
Black Brook has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Brook | 3% | 0.2 | 121 | 14% | B− |
| Amery | 10% | 1.4 | 74 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Cylon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alden | 4% | under 0.1 | 99 | 19% | C+ |
| Clear Lake | 3% | 0.4 | 58 | 91% | A− |
| Clear Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lincoln | 1% | 0.2 | 71 | 38% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Black Brook
Where can I hike in Black Brook?
The longest trail networks: Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area, 1.7 miles; Boe Waterfowl Production Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Black Brook is conserved land?
3% 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 Black Brook’s trails?
Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area and Boe Waterfowl Production Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Black Brook?
6,512 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Black Brook or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 217 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Black Brook have?
Ahead of 47% 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 Black Brook 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 →