Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
82 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bristol
Bristol has 253 acres of parks, 58 for every 1,000 residents
1.8 miles of mapped trail cross Bristol, 0.1 per square mile of land. 50% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Bristol’s land is conserved, about 514 acres.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #294 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
514 acres · of 33.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
253 ac
58 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bristol is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #294 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bristol’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land58 acres of park per 1,000 residents (253 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home50% 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 45%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 19%
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 Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Deansville Wildlife Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
213 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Brooks Ridge Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area82 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Deansville Wildlife Area213 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Highland Park7 acres
DirectionsBrooks Ridge Park7 acres
Bristol Ridge Park4 acres
Who protects it
514 conserved acres
2% of Bristol’s land. Who manages Bristol’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources480 ac
County281 ac
Town or city21 ac
State Recreation Area · 480 acState Conservation Area · 270 acLocal Park · 21 acLocal Other or Unknown · 11 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 270 | Restricted |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 269 | Open |
| Deansville Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 211 | Open |
| Patrick Marsh - Aulik Local Other or Unknown | County | 11 | Open |
| Brooks Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Bristol Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Bristol Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Bristol
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bristol
Bristol Town Hall Park
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Bristol
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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bristol →
Next door
Bristol 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 2% | 0.1 | 58 | 50% | C+ |
| Sun Prairie | 6% | 0.5 | 24 | 99%+ | A |
| York | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Windsor | 3% | 0.3 | 45 | 91% | B+ |
| Sun Prairie | 1% | 0.3 | 148 | 28% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bristol
Where can I hike in Bristol?
The longest trail networks: Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bristol is conserved land?
2% 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 Bristol’s trails?
Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area and Deansville Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bristol?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Bristol?
14,818 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bristol or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 253 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bristol have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #294 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 Bristol 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 →