Dover Waterfowl Refuge
Nature preserve
90 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Dover
Dover has 87 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
1% of Dover’s land is conserved, about 253 acres. 65% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 9.3 miles of mapped trail cross Dover, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns · #286 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
253 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
9.3 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
87 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dover have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dover is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns, #286 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dover’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (87 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home65% 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 47%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 21%
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.
All 8 parks & preserves
Eagle Lake Park26 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSWC Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDover Waterfowl Refuge90 acres
Veterans Memorial Wayside Park4 acres
DirectionsBeaumont Park2 acres
DirectionsGloria Park1 acres
Lincoln Park1 acres
Hickory Haven Park1 acres
Who protects it
253 conserved acres
1% of Dover’s land. Who manages Dover’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources239 ac
County102 ac
State Recreation Area · 185 acState Conservation Area · 88 acState Park · 44 acLocal Park · 23 acRecreation or Education Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Lake Fishery Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 96 | Restricted |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 79 | Restricted |
| Dover State Habitat Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 79 | Open |
| Burlington To Kansasville State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 44 | Open |
| Eagle Lake Park Local Park | County | 23 | Open |
| Statewide Wildlife Habitat State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 9 | Restricted |
| Statewide Wildlife Habitat - Se State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 9 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Dover
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Dover
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Dover
Eagle Lake Dover Boat Launch
DirectionsEagle Lake Park Boat LaunchIn Eagle Lake Park
DirectionsMichael's On The Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dover
9 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 mi
White River State Trail3.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
White River State TrailBike route
3 miCourts & fields
5Beach volleyball
4Basketball
3Tennis
3Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Southern Wisconsin Home Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Dover: 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 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Dover →
Next door
Dover 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 1% | 0.3 | 21 | 65% | B− |
| Norway | 2% | 0.2 | 8 | 46% | C |
| Brighton | 20% | 2.1 | 3,372 | 26% | A |
| Yorkville | 1% | 0.3 | 86 | 32% | B− |
| Union Grove | 2% | 2.1 | 14 | 99%+ | A− |
| 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 Dover
Where can I hike in Dover?
The longest trail networks: Eagle Lake Park, 0.1 miles; SWC Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dover is conserved land?
1% 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 Dover’s trails?
Dover Waterfowl Refuge and Eagle Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dover?
17,614 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dover or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 87 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Dover have?
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #286 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 Dover 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 →