Kinnickinnic State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,322 acres7 mi of trail
Pink TrailYellow TrailGreen TrailPurple Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Clifton
Clifton has 1,650 acres of parks, 652 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Clifton’s land is conserved, about 2,939 acres. The biggest trail networks: Kinnickinnic State Park (7 mi). 41% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,939 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
7.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,650 ac
652 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
15 mi paths
Highest peak
1,083 ft
Melander Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Clifton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clifton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clifton is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns. 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 Clifton’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land652 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,650 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home41% 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 73%
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 Kinnickinnic State Park, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Drewiske Family Preserve
Nature preserve
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,939 conserved acres
13% of Clifton’s land. Who manages Clifton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,654 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)925 ac
Private owners518 ac
State Park · 1,338 acAgricultural Easement · 925 acPrivate Park · 518 acState Recreation Area · 158 acState Conservation Area · 158 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 925 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinnickinnic State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,338 | Open |
| Clifton Highlands Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 229 | Open |
| Manion State Habitat Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 158 | Open |
| Statewide Wildlife Habitat State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 158 | Open |
| Clifton Hollow Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 147 | Open |
| Lower St Croix State Park Riverway Private Park | Private owners | 142 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Clifton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clifton
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Clifton
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Clifton
Melander Hill1,083 ft elevation
DirectionsDills Mound1,050 ft elevation
DirectionsStarks Mound1,017 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Clifton
St Croix Picnic AreaIn Kinnickinnic State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.0 mi
Pink Trail1.7 mi
Yellow Trail1.3 mi
Green Trail1.1 mi
Purple Trail1.0 mi
Blue Trail0.7 mi
Orange Trail0.5 mi
Brown Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
15 mi
off-road bike paths
6.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
When to get out
The walking year in Clifton
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
February is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Clifton →
Next door
Clifton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | 13% | 0.2 | 652 | 41% | B+ |
| Prescott | 2% | under 0.1 | 8 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Troy | 3% | 0.2 | 16 | 32% | C+ |
| River Falls | 2% | 0.1 | 130 | 48% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clifton
Where can I hike in Clifton?
The longest trail networks: Kinnickinnic State Park, 7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clifton 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 Clifton’s trails?
Kinnickinnic State Park and Manion Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Clifton?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 15 of off-road paths and 6.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Clifton?
15,066 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clifton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,650 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clifton have?
Ahead of 73% 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 Clifton 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 →