Whitnall Park
Managed by Milwaukee County Parks
393 acres6.9 mi of trail
Warbler Bridge
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Franklin
Franklin has 3,824 acres of parks, 107 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Whitnall Park (6.9 mi), Grobschmidt Park (2.1 mi), Root River Parkway (0.7 mi). 9% of Franklin’s land is conserved, about 1,917 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #48 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,917 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,824 ac
107 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #48 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land107 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,824 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% 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 90%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 87%
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 Whitnall Park, with 6.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grobschmidt Park
Park
141 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Franklin Woods Nature Center
Park
39 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jack Workman Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
Whitnall Park393 acres · 6.9 mi of trail · Milwaukee County Parks
DirectionsGrobschmidt Park141 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Root River Parkway1,954 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLegends Park43 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFranklin Woods Nature Center39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJack Workman Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Meadowlands Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Pleasant View Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChristine Rathke Memorial Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Franklin Park162 acres
Countryside Park126 acres
Croatian Park28 acres
Mayer Land Preservation23 acres
Saint Martins Park20 acres
Froemming Park16 acres
Ernie Lake Park14 acres
Mission Hills Wetland13 acres
DirectionsSouthwood Glen Park8 acres
Lions Club Softball Fields8 acres
DirectionsKen Windl4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,917 conserved acres
9% of Franklin’s land. Who manages Franklin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County926 ac
Private owners207 ac
Town or city131 ac
State natural resources116 ac
Not recorded1,127 ac
Local Park · 2,122 acPrivate Park · 207 acState Recreation Area · 116 acLocal Conservation Area · 53 acLocal Recreation Area · 9 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitnall Park Local Park | County | 588 | Open |
| Froemming Park Local Park | County | 322 | Open |
| Franklin Park Local Park | Not recorded | 301 | Open |
| Oakwood Park Local Park | Not recorded | 272 | Open |
| Grobschmidt Park Local Park | Not recorded | 253 | Open |
| Tuckaway Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 207 | Open |
| Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 116 | Open |
| Milwaukee County Sports Complex Local Park | Not recorded | 116 | Open |
| Root River Parks Local Park | County | 102 | Open |
| Legend Park Local Park | County | 43 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Franklin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Franklin
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Franklin
Kayla's PlaygroundHours: dawn-dusk · In Franklin Woods Nature Center
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Franklin
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Franklin
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Franklin
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.2 mi
Warbler Bridge0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
1.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Baseball
17Pickleball
11Soccer
11Tennis
8Beach volleyball
8Volleyball
4Basketball
1Football
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).
Painesville ChapelBuilding · listed 1977
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Franklin: 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) | 9.3 | 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 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Franklin →
Next door
Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Muskego33 miFranklin23 miOak Creek18 miHales Corners6.9 miGreendale6.0 miGreenfield5.2 miRaymond0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 9% | 0.7 | 107 | 92% | A |
| Greendale | 22% | 1.1 | 80 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Muskego | 8% | 1.0 | 72 | 85% | A |
| Hales Corners | 15% | 2.2 | 40 | 99% | A+ |
| Oak Creek | 11% | 0.6 | 78 | 98% | A |
| Raymond | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 4% | D |
| Greenfield | 3% | 0.5 | 15 | 96% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin
Where can I hike in Franklin?
The longest trail networks: Whitnall Park, 6.9 miles; Grobschmidt Park, 2.1 miles; Root River Parkway, 0.7 miles; Legends Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin is conserved land?
9% 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 Franklin’s trails?
Whitnall Park and Grobschmidt Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Franklin?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 1.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Franklin?
22,028 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,824 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Franklin 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 →