Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
74 miles of mapped trail cross Brighton, 2.1 per square mile of land. 20% of Brighton’s land is conserved, about 4,641 acres. The biggest trail networks: Richard Bong State Recreation Area (58.6 mi), Brighton Dale Park (2 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brighton is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Richard Bong State Recreation Area, with 58.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
20% of Brighton’s land. Who manages Brighton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 119 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Bong Recreation Area State Park | State natural resources | 4,522 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
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.
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brighton →
Brighton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 20% | 2.1 | 3,372 | 26% | A |
| Paddock Lake | 3% | under 0.1 | 9 | 99%+ | B− |
| Dover | 1% | 0.3 | 21 | 65% | B− |
| Paris | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | 1% | D− |
| Salem Lakes | 7% | 0.6 | 57 | 83% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 58.6 miles; Brighton Dale Park, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
20% 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.
Richard Bong State Recreation Area and Brighton Dale Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
21,847 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brighton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,657 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 90% 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Brighton neighbors.
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 →