Buckhorn State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
3,100 acres10.5 mi of trail
Glacial Lake TrailTimber TrailCentral Sands Nature Trail LoopBarrens Nature Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Germantown
Germantown has 8,058 acres of parks, 4,132 for every 1,000 residents
37% of Germantown’s land is conserved, about 7,881 acres. The biggest trail networks: Buckhorn State Park (10.5 mi), Buckhorn Wildlife Area (2.9 mi). 18 miles of mapped trail cross Germantown, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
37%
7,881 acres · of 33.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,058 ac
4,132 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
13
3 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Germantown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Germantown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Germantown is ahead of 90% 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 Germantown’s overall grade.
Conserved land37% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land4,132 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,058 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home56% 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 90%
LessMore
Water is 25% of Germantown’s area (11 of 44 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 28%.
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 Buckhorn State Park, with 10.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Buckhorn Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
945 acres2.9 mi of trail
Partridge Trail LoopTurkey Hollow Segment
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Yellow River Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
1,964 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Yellow River Oxbows State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
723 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Buckhorn State Park3,100 acres · 10.5 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBuckhorn Wildlife Area945 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsYellow River Wildlife Area1,964 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsYellow River Oxbows State Natural Area723 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Castle Rock County Park219 acres
Mauston School Forest166 acres
Juneau County Forest114 acres · Juneau County
Who protects it
7,881 conserved acres
37% of Germantown’s land. Water is left out: Germantown has 33.2 square miles of land and 11.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Germantown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources8,737 ac
County265 ac
State Park · 5,080 acState Recreation Area · 3,658 acLocal Conservation Area · 265 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckhorn State Park State Park | State natural resources | 4,161 | Open |
| Yellow River Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,985 | Open |
| Buckhorn Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,673 | Open |
| Buckhorn State Park 3 State Park | State natural resources | 919 | Closed |
| Juneau County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 265 | Open |
Things to do
26 places to go in Germantown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Germantown
Boating Beach
DirectionsSwimming Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Germantown
5 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Germantown
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Germantown
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Germantown
Bavarian Campsite
DirectionsBuckhorn State Park CampgroundFee · In Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsCastle Rock Park CampgroundFee · In Castle Rock County Park
DirectionsEast Backpack Sites 30-33, 39-42In Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsEast Backpack Sites 34-38, 43-45In Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsEd Bryant Scout Reservation
DirectionsGroup CampsiteIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsMenominee
Directions7 more campgrounds
North Backpack SitesIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsNorth Backpack Sites 1-3In Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsNorth Backpack Sites 20-22In Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsSouth Backpack SitesIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsWest Backpack SitesIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsWest Backpack SitesIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsWest Backpack SitesIn Buckhorn State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.0 miUnpaved · 12.7 mi
Glacial Lake Trail1.2 mi
Timber Trail1.1 mi
Central Sands Nature Trail Loop1.1 mi
Partridge Trail Loop1.0 mi
Turkey Hollow Segment0.8 mi
Barrens Nature Trail0.8 mi
Whispering Pines Trail0.5 mi
Buckhorn Campground Trail0.5 mi
When to get out
The walking year in Germantown
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 31 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Germantown →
Next door
Germantown and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Necedah31 miStrongs Prairie23 miGermantown18 miQuincy13 miLisbon1.7 miClearfield0.9 miLemonweir0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | 37% | 0.5 | 4,132 | 56% | A |
| Quincy | 23% | 0.4 | 421 | 17% | B+ |
| Clearfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Strongs Prairie | 2% | 0.5 | 395 | 8% | B− |
| Necedah | 45% | 0.4 | 948 | 8% | A− |
| Lisbon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lemonweir | 1% | under 0.1 | 231 | 13% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Germantown
Where can I hike in Germantown?
The longest trail networks: Buckhorn State Park, 10.5 miles; Buckhorn Wildlife Area, 2.9 miles; Yellow River Wildlife Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Germantown is conserved land?
37% 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 Germantown’s trails?
Buckhorn State Park and Buckhorn Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Germantown?
19,632 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Germantown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,058 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Germantown have?
Ahead of 90% 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 Germantown 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 →