Token Creek County Park
Managed by Dane County
491 acres7.7 mi of trail
Boardwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Burke
Burke has 1,302 acres of parks, 409 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Burke’s land is conserved, about 1,182 acres. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Token Creek County Park (7.7 mi), Cherokee Marsh North Unit (1.6 mi), Burke Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #24 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,182 acres · of 13.8 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,302 ac
409 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.9 mi
2.4 mi lanes · 0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Burke?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burke have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burke is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #24 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Burke’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land409 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,302 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 94%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Token Creek County Park, with 7.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cherokee Marsh North Unit
Nature preserve
697 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Burke Park
Park
36 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cherokee Marsh State Fishery Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
712 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Token Creek County Park491 acres · 7.7 mi of trail · Dane County
DirectionsCherokee Marsh North Unit697 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBurke Park36 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Cherokee Marsh State Fishery Area712 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCherokee Marsh Natural Resource Area45 acres · Dane County
DirectionsToken Creek Wildlife Area10 acres
North-East Greenspace5 acres · City of Madison
Foxmoor Hills Park3 acres
DirectionsGehrke's Knoll3 acres · Town of Burke
Who protects it
1,182 conserved acres
13% of Burke’s land. Who manages Burke’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources711 ac
County412 ac
Town or city57 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
State Recreation Area · 711 acLocal Park · 469 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Marsh Fishery Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 711 | Open |
| Token Creek County Park Local Park | County | 412 | Open |
| Burke Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Rattmann Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| North-East Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Lodges Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Gehrke'S Knoll Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Burke
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Burke
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Burke
Small Dog ParkIn Token Creek County Park
DirectionsToken Creek County Park Dog ParkIn Token Creek County Park
DirectionsToken Creek Dog ParkIn Token Creek County Park
DirectionsFishing spots in Burke
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Burke
Token Creek County ParkFee · In Token Creek County Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.9 mi
Boardwalk0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
2.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Volleyball
2Tennis
1Disc golf
1Basketball
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 Burke
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 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 60 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Burke →
Next door
Burke and its neighbors
Burke has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke | 13% | 0.8 | 409 | 92% | A |
| Madison | 12% | 1.8 | 24 | 99%+ | A+ |
| DeForest | 3% | 0.6 | 45 | 99%+ | A− |
| Sun Prairie | 6% | 0.5 | 24 | 99%+ | A |
| 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 Burke
Where can I hike in Burke?
The longest trail networks: Token Creek County Park, 7.7 miles; Cherokee Marsh North Unit, 1.6 miles; Burke Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burke 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 Burke’s trails?
Token Creek County Park and Cherokee Marsh North Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burke?
4.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes, 0.4 of off-road paths and 2.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Burke?
20,655 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burke or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,302 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Burke have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #24 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 Burke 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 →