Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area
Nature preserve
2,960 acres12.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Florence Town Hall · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Florence
More than half of Florence’s land is conserved: 59%
59% of Florence’s land is conserved, about 57,613 acres. 5,685 acres are parks and preserves, 3,120 per 1,000 residents. 180 miles of mapped trail cross Florence, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
59%
57,613 acres · of 153.6 sq mi of land
Trails
180 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,685 ac
3,120 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
52
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Florence?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild59% of the land is conserved; a typical Wisconsin town, 4%.Room to roam3,120 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 84% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Florence have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Florence is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Florence’s overall grade.
Conserved land59% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (180 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3,120 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,685 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 92%
LessMore
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 Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area, with 12.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wilderness Shores Recreation Area
Nature preserve
1,116 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Florence County Forest
Nature preserve
1,277 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Florence County Fairgrounds
Park
23 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area2,960 acres · 12.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWilderness Shores Recreation Area1,116 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFlorence County Forest1,277 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsFlorence County Fairgrounds23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit2 acres · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
57,613 conserved acres
59% of Florence’s land. Who manages Florence’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources30,873 ac
U.S. Forest Service28,412 ac
Private owners20,258 ac
County1,712 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service147 ac
National Forest · 28,412 acState Conservation Area · 26,978 acForest Stewardship Easement · 19,690 acState Park · 4,264 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,209 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 173 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolet National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 28,412 | Open |
| Forest Legacy Program State Conservation Area | Private owners | 19,677 | Restricted |
| Pine-Popple Wild Rivers State Park | State natural resources | 4,264 | Open |
| Spread Eagle Barrens Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3,269 | Restricted |
| Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,913 | Restricted |
| Florence County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 1,209 | Open |
| Natural Area State Conservation Area | County | 503 | Restricted |
| Haley Creek Swamp State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 469 | Restricted |
| Woods Creek Cedars State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 47 | Restricted |
| Statewide Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 47 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Florence
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Florence
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Florence
4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Florence
Pine River Overlook
DirectionsCampgrounds in Florence
Perch Lake CampgroundFee
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 52 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.7 mi
552514.3 mi
55251AB23.2 mi
Lauterman Loop Trail2.9 mi
National Forest Road 21542.7 mi
Chipmunk Trail2.4 mi
Ridge Trail2.3 mi
National Forest Road 21512.0 mi
Little Porky Trail1.5 mi
Forest Road 38951.4 mi
Beginner's Trail0.9 mi
4 more trails
National Forest Road 2442
0.7 miForest Rd 2417
0.6 miLauterman Loop
0.2 miForest Road 3895A
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Baird LakelakeBarrens LakelakeBass LakelakeBell LakelakeBirch LakeBoot LakelakeCamp Thirteen LakelakeCosgrove LakelakeCruiser LakelakeDorothy LakeDuck LakelakeEast LakelakeEdith LakeEllwood LakelakeFisher LakelakeFrog LakelakeGrub Hoe LakeHemlock LakeKeyes LakelakeLake AnnalakeLake SeventeenlakeLauterman LakelakeLilly LakelakeLittle Boot LakelakeLittle Riley LakelakeLong LakelakeMarlow LakeMiddle LakelakeMontgomery LakelakeMud LakeNorth LakelakeOlson LakePerch LakelakePickerel LakeRailroad LakelakeRiley LakelakeRobago LakeSavage LakeSeven Mile LakepondSilverdollar LakeSouth LakelakeSpring LakelakeSpruce LakeWest LakelakeWhisker LakelakeBrule RiverLeRoy CreekMenominee RiverMontagne CreekPine RiverWakefield CreekWoods Creek
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Lauterman National Recreation TrailBike route
10.9 miChicago And North Western RRBike route
10.5 miCourts & fields
2Baseball
1Tennis
1Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Florence: May and August
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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 38 | 51 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 54 | 39 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Florence →
Next door
Florence and its neighbors
Florence has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stambaugh Township183 miFlorence180 miMastodon Township169 miCommonwealth65 miBreitung Township61 miAurora48 miTipler42 miFern25 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 59% | 1.2 | 3,120 | 41% | A |
| Aurora | 21% | 1.3 | 2,761 | 28% | A |
| Commonwealth | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fern | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tipler | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Florence
Where can I hike in Florence?
The longest trail networks: Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area, 12.9 miles; Wilderness Shores Recreation Area, 3.3 miles; Florence County Forest, 1.8 miles; Florence County Fairgrounds, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Florence is conserved land?
59% 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 Florence’s trails?
Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area and Wilderness Shores Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Florence?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths. Named routes: Lauterman National Recreation Trail and Chicago And North Western RR.
Is there public land near Florence?
239,305 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Florence or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13,213 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Florence have?
Ahead of 92% 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 Florence 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 →