Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve
Park
76 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Burlington
Burlington has 864 acres of parks, 135 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve (2.3 mi), Hoosier Creek Habitat Area (1 mi), Bushnell Park (0.9 mi). 6% of Burlington’s land is conserved, about 1,313 acres. 59% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #169 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,313 acres · of 32.9 sq mi of land
Trails
9.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
864 ac
135 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
869 ft
Mount Tom
Lakes & rivers
5
4 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Burlington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burlington is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #169 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Burlington’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land135 acres of park per 1,000 residents (864 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home59% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 53%
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 Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hoosier Creek Habitat Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
223 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Honey Creek Wildlife Area - Long Lake Unit
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
155 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Long Lake Unit
All 14 parks & preserves
Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve76 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHoosier Creek Habitat Area223 acres · 1 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBushnell Park104 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHoney Creek Wildlife Area - Long Lake Unit155 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAlabama Lake State Habitat Area3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Burlington Wetland Area157 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHoney Creek Wildlife Area - Walworth Unit108 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Fischer County Park70 acres
John Margis JR Wildlife Area44 acres
DirectionsHerb Leach Park4 acres
Cedar park2 acres
Louis Fago Park2 acres
McCanna Park1 acres
Julius Aukes Beach Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,313 conserved acres
6% of Burlington’s land. Who manages Burlington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources860 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)317 ac
County295 ac
Town or city79 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Recreation Area · 572 acState Conservation Area · 389 acConservation Easement · 323 acLocal Recreation Area · 105 acLocal Conservation Area · 79 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karcher Marsh Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 280 | Open |
| Honey Creek Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 260 | Open |
| Statewide Habitat Areas State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 229 | Restricted |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 135 | Restricted |
| Bushnell County Park Local Recreation Area | County | 105 | Open |
| Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Burlington To Kansasville State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 48 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Se State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 33 | Open |
| Fischer Park Local Park | County | 30 | Open |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 25 | Restricted |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Burlington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Burlington
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Burlington
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Burlington
Fischer Park Boat LaunchIn Fischer County Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Burlington
Mount Tom869 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Burlington
YMCA Camp MacLean
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.7 miUnpaved · 4.7 mi
White River State Trail3.6 mi
Canadian Pacific Railway0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
White River State TrailBike route
3.6 miCourts & fields
3Soccer
2Basketball
2Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Burlington: July and September
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 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Burlington →
Next door
Burlington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rochester16 miLyons15 miBurlington9.8 miWheatland5.0 miSpring Prairie2.6 miBrowns Lake0.0 miBohners Lake0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 6% | 0.3 | 135 | 59% | B+ |
| Browns Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bohners Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lyons | 3% | 0.4 | 72 | 46% | B |
| Wheatland | 8% | 0.2 | 351 | 37% | B+ |
| Spring Prairie | 1% | 0.1 | 138 | 19% | C+ |
| Rochester | 12% | 0.9 | 353 | 88% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burlington
Where can I hike in Burlington?
The longest trail networks: Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve, 2.3 miles; Hoosier Creek Habitat Area, 1 miles; Bushnell Park, 0.9 miles; Honey Creek Wildlife Area - Long Lake Unit, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burlington is conserved land?
6% 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 Burlington’s trails?
Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve and Hoosier Creek Habitat Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burlington?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 1.7 of off-road paths. Named routes: White River State Trail.
Is there public land near Burlington?
15,567 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burlington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 864 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Burlington have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #169 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 Burlington 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 →