Blue Mound State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
968 acres16.9 mi of trail
Holy SchistGneissPokervilleFlint Rock Nature Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Thomas Stone Barn · Photo: KellyMeer · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brigham
Brigham has 3,130 acres of parks, 2,715 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Brigham’s land is conserved, about 5,117 acres. The biggest trail networks: Blue Mound State Park (16.9 mi), Schurch-Thomson Prairie (1.8 mi), A to Z Farm (1.3 mi). 40 miles of mapped trail cross Brigham, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
5,117 acres · of 63.4 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,130 ac
2,715 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
33%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.0 mi
6.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,719 ft
Blue Mounds
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Brigham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brigham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brigham is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brigham’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land2,715 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,130 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home33% 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 81%
LessMore
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 Blue Mound State Park, with 16.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Schurch-Thomson Prairie
Nature preserve
195 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
A to Z Farm
Nature preserve
274 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Barneveld Prairie
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
1,071 acres
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Blue Mound State Park968 acres · 16.9 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSchurch-Thomson Prairie195 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
A to Z Farm274 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Barneveld Prairie1,071 acres · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsThomson Memorial Prairie467 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Mounds View Grassland287 acres
Shea Prairie92 acres
Who protects it
5,117 conserved acres
13% of Brigham’s land. Who manages Brigham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,012 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,988 ac
State natural resources1,684 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government726 ac
Town or city459 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,516 acPrivate Conservation · 1,668 acState Park · 951 acState Recreation Area · 442 acConservation Easement · 285 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,055 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Mound State Park State Park | State natural resources | 951 | Open |
| Muehllehner Addition To Barneveld Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 896 | Open |
| Thomson Memorial Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 476 | Open |
| Trout Creek Fishery Area-Iowa State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 433 | Open |
| Barneveld Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 296 | Open |
| Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 9 | Restricted |
Things to do
10 places to go in Brigham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Brigham
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Brigham
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Brigham
East Observation TowerIn Blue Mound State Park
DirectionsWest Observation TowerIn Blue Mound State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Brigham
Blue Mounds1,719 ft elevation · In Blue Mound State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Brigham
Bike/Hike CampgroundFee · In Blue Mound State Park · Blue Mound State Park
DirectionsFamily CampgroundIn Blue Mound State Park · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
19 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.6 miUnpaved · 15.6 mi
Holy Schist2.8 mi
Gneiss1.8 mi
Pokerville1.7 mi
Flint Rock Nature Trail1.2 mi
John Minix Trail1.0 mi
Gneiss and Smooth0.9 mi
Pleasure Valley Trail0.8 mi
Home Stretch0.7 mi
Ridgeview Trail0.7 mi
Willow Spring Trail0.7 mi
9 more trails
Indian Marker Tree Trail
0.6 miPool Trail
0.5 miOverlode
0.5 miPicnic Trail
0.3 miCampground Trail
0.2 miPool Bypass Trail
0.2 miBasalt and Pepper
0.2 miSpring House Trail
0.1 miBike Campground Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Thomas Stone BarnBuilding · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Brigham
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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brigham →
Next door
Brigham and its neighbors
Brigham has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham | 13% | 0.6 | 2,715 | 33% | A− |
| Ridgeway | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Arena | 2% | under 0.1 | 99 | 8% | C |
| Moscow | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Blue Mounds | — 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 Brigham
Where can I hike in Brigham?
The longest trail networks: Blue Mound State Park, 16.9 miles; Schurch-Thomson Prairie, 1.8 miles; A to Z Farm, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brigham is conserved land?
13% 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 Brigham’s trails?
Blue Mound State Park and Schurch-Thomson Prairie don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brigham?
6.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brigham?
14,699 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brigham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,130 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brigham have?
Ahead of 81% 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 Brigham 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 →