Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
Nature preserve
75 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac has 18 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum (1.2 mi), Ledgeview Center (0.8 mi). 824 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #103 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
598 acres · of 19.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
824 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
4.6 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fond du Lac?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fond du Lac have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fond du Lac is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #103 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fond du Lac’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (824 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 72%
Water is 6% of Fond du Lac’s area (1 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lakeside Park West
Managed by City of Fond du Lac
255 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum75 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLedgeview Center34 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeside Park West255 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fond du Lac
DirectionsColwert-Edward Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeside Park119 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsButtermilk Creek Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCardinal Park23 acres
Adelaide Park23 acres
DirectionsGreenway Arboretum18 acres
DirectionsTaylor Park11 acres
DirectionsFruthfield Park10 acres
DirectionsBrookfield Park10 acres
DirectionsLallier Park7 acres
DirectionsPaul Butzen Memorial Park7 acres
Hamilton Park6 acres
DirectionsFrank Russell Park5 acres
DirectionsPlamore Park4 acres
DirectionsFranklin Park3 acres
Fido Dog Park2 acres
Hucks Bellvue Park1 acres
Jefferson Park1 acres
McKinley Park1 acres
DirectionsCatherine Whittier Lewis Park1 acres
Who protects it
598 conserved acres
5% of Fond du Lac’s land. Water is left out: Fond du Lac has 19.2 square miles of land and 1.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fond du Lac’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city493 ac
County73 ac
State natural resources40 ac
Local Park · 494 acLocal Conservation Area · 70 acState Park · 24 acState Conservation Area · 8 acState Recreation Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Park West Local Park | Town or city | 248 | Open |
| Lakeside Park Local Park | Town or city | 137 | Open |
| Gottfried Arboretum Local Conservation Area | County | 70 | Open |
| Adelaide Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Wild Goose State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 19 | Open |
| Buttermilk Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Mcdermott Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Taylor Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Statewide Habitat Areas State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 8 | Restricted |
| Statewide Habitat Areas - Lm State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Fond du Lac
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fond du Lac
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Fond du Lac
32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Fond du Lac
Lakeside Dog ParkIn Lakeside Park West
DirectionsBoat launches in Fond du Lac
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Fond du Lac
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Fond du Lac
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.8 miUnpaved · 5.5 mi
Wild Goose State Trail0.8 mi
Old Plank Road Trail0.7 mi
Mascoutin Valley State Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
1.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Wild Goose State TrailBike route
0.8 miOld Plank Road TrailBike route
0.7 miMascoutin Valley State TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
31Tennis
28Soccer
20Baseball
16Basketball
9Pickleball
7Beach volleyball
4Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →24 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Octagon HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itEdwin H. Galloway HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itAetna Station No. 5Building · listed 1976
About itHotel RetlawBuilding · listed 1984
About itFirst Baptist Church of Fond du LacBuilding · listed 1986
About itChicago and Northwestern Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1990
About itEl Dorado ApartmentsBuilding · listed 1992
About itHotel CalumetBuilding · listed 1992
About itSouth Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itMoose TempleBuilding · listed 1993
About itGeorge and Mary Agnes Dana HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itNorth Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About it12 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Fond du Lac
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 42 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Fond du Lac →
Next door
Fond du Lac and its neighbors
Fond du Lac has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fond du Lac | 5% | 1.0 | 19 | 93% | A− |
| Taycheedah | under 1% | under 0.1 | 42 | 35% | C |
| North Fond du Lac | 2% | 0.1 | 6 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fond du Lac
Where can I hike in Fond du Lac?
The longest trail networks: Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum, 1.2 miles; Ledgeview Center, 0.8 miles; Lakeside Park West, 0.2 miles; Lakeside Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fond du Lac is conserved land?
5% 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 Fond du Lac’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Ledgeview Center (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fond du Lac?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of painted or protected lanes, 16 of off-road paths and 1.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Wild Goose State Trail, Old Plank Road Trail and Mascoutin Valley State Trail.
Is there public land near Fond du Lac?
10,171 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fond du Lac or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 824 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fond du Lac have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #103 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 Fond du Lac 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 →