Blooming Grove Drumlins Natural Resource Area- North Unit
Nature preserve
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove has 75 acres of parks, 20 for every 1,000 residents
3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Cottage Grove, 0.1 per square mile of land. 52% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Cottage Grove’s land is conserved, about 674 acres.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #298 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
674 acres · of 30.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
75 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
52%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.6 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 4.0 mi paths
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cottage Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cottage Grove is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #298 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 Cottage Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (75 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home52% 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 44%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 18%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
674 conserved acres
3% of Cottage Grove’s land. Who manages Cottage Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)537 ac
State natural resources128 ac
County83 ac
Town or city10 ac
Conservation Easement · 537 acState Conservation Area · 83 acState Recreation Area · 83 acState Park · 36 acLocal Recreation Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 545 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 83 | Restricted |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 83 | Open |
| Glacial Drumlin State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 36 | Open |
| Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
Biking & sports
5.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.0 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Hammond FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Cottage Grove
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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cottage Grove →
Next door
Cottage Grove and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Madison155 miMedina18 miSun Prairie8.2 miPleasant Springs8.1 miCottage Grove3.0 miMcFarland2.9 miDeerfield1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove | 3% | 0.1 | 20 | 52% | C+ |
| Madison | 12% | 1.8 | 24 | 99%+ | A+ |
| McFarland | 8% | 0.6 | 48 | 99% | A |
| Sun Prairie | 1% | 0.3 | 148 | 28% | B− |
| Deerfield | 13% | 0.1 | 1,437 | 38% | B |
| Pleasant Springs | 4% | 0.2 | 198 | 51% | B |
| Medina | 3% | 0.6 | 108 | 23% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cottage Grove
How much of Cottage Grove is conserved land?
3% 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 Cottage Grove’s trails?
Blooming Grove Drumlins Natural Resource Area- North Unit doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cottage Grove?
5.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 4.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cottage Grove?
21,917 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cottage Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 75 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cottage Grove have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #298 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 Cottage Grove 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 →