Bark River Nature Park
Park
72 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Scott Catron · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Atkinson
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Fort Atkinson
4.8 miles of mapped trail cross Fort Atkinson, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bark River Nature Park (1.9 mi), Rock River Park (0.8 mi). 242 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #83 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
183 acres · of 5.9 sq mi of land
Trails
4.8 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
242 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.2 mi
3.9 mi lanes · 4.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Atkinson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Atkinson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Atkinson is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #83 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Atkinson’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (242 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% 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 84%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 77%
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 Bark River Nature Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 15 parks & preserves
Bark River Nature Park72 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRock River Park94 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsJones Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRalph Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLorman Bicentennial Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBarrie Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Memorial Park11 acres
Lions Park4 acres · City of Fort Atkinson
DirectionsRiverside Park4 acres
DirectionsMcCoy Park3 acres
DirectionsArrowhead Park3 acres
Endl Park3 acres
Klement Park2 acres
Trailway Park1 acres · City of Fort Atkinson
Wilcox Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
183 conserved acres
5% of Fort Atkinson’s land. Who manages Fort Atkinson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city183 ac
Local Park · 136 acLocal Recreation Area · 48 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock River Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Bark River Nature Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Jones Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Ralph Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Mccoy Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Endl Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Lorman Bicentennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Barrie Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
26 places to go in Fort Atkinson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fort Atkinson
21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Fort Atkinson
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Fort Atkinson
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
6Football
6Basketball
4Softball
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Eli May HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itJones Dairy FarmBuilding · listed 1978
About itArthur R. Hoard HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itMain Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itMerchants Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itFort Atkinson Water TowerStructure · listed 2005
About itDavid W. and Jane Curtis HouseBuilding · listed 2009
About itFort Atkinson ClubBuilding · listed 2017
About itHelmut Ajango HouseBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Fort Atkinson
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 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Fort Atkinson →
Next door
Fort Atkinson and its neighbors
Fort Atkinson has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Atkinson | 5% | 0.8 | 19 | 99% | A− |
| Koshkonong | 5% | 0.2 | 255 | 49% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Atkinson
Where can I hike in Fort Atkinson?
The longest trail networks: Bark River Nature Park, 1.9 miles; Rock River Park, 0.8 miles; Jones Park, 0.3 miles; Ralph Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Atkinson 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 Fort Atkinson’s trails?
Bark River Nature Park and Rock River Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Atkinson?
8.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of painted or protected lanes and 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fort Atkinson?
9,354 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Atkinson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 242 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Atkinson have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #83 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 Fort Atkinson 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 →