Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
74 acres2.7 mi of trail
Lion's Den TrailBluff TrailWaterfowl WalkTrillium Trek+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Freekee · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Grafton
Grafton has 291 acres of parks, 67 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve (2.7 mi). 8% of Grafton’s land is conserved, about 938 acres. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Grafton, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #144 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
938 acres · of 17.4 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
291 ac
67 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
3.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grafton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grafton is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #144 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Grafton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land67 acres of park per 1,000 residents (291 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home42% 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 74%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 60%
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 Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blue Wing Waterfowl Production Area
Nature preserve
53 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Ulao Waterfowl Production Area
Nature preserve
43 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve74 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsUlao Waterfowl Production Area43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBlue Wing Waterfowl Production Area53 acres
Kurtz Woods State Natural Area30 acres
Bratt Woods Preserve17 acres
River Oaks Park4 acres
Who protects it
938 conserved acres
8% of Grafton’s land. Who manages Grafton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits419 ac
Private owners293 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service197 ac
State natural resources86 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)41 ac
County36 ac
Town or city20 ac
Private Park · 293 acResource Management Area · 197 acAgricultural Easement · 181 acConservation Easement · 148 acUnknown Easement · 141 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 445 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counrty Club of Wisconsin Private Park | Private owners | 234 | Open |
| Ozaukee County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 197 | Restricted |
| Edgewater Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 59 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 34 | Restricted |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Se State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 34 | Open |
| Statewide Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 26 | Open |
| Bratt Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Closed |
| Heritage Settlement Park Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Muttland Meadows Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Grafton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grafton
Public BeachIn Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve
DirectionsDog parks in Grafton
Muttland Meadows Dog ParkHours: Open 24 hours
DirectionsScenic views in Grafton
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.5 mi
Lion's Den Trail0.7 mi
Bluff Trail0.4 mi
Waterfowl Walk0.2 mi
Trillium Trek0.1 mi
Gentian Walk0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Grafton
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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 42 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 71 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Grafton →
Next door
Grafton and its neighbors
Grafton has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | 8% | 0.6 | 67 | 42% | B+ |
| Port Washington | 4% | 0.3 | 15 | 96% | B+ |
| Cedarburg | 2% | 0.6 | 11 | 98% | B+ |
| Cedarburg | 2% | 0.1 | 23 | 36% | C+ |
| Saukville | 6% | under 0.1 | 26 | 94% | B |
| Port Washington | 1% | under 0.1 | 34 | 40% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grafton
Where can I hike in Grafton?
The longest trail networks: Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve, 2.7 miles; Ulao Waterfowl Production Area, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grafton is conserved land?
8% 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 Grafton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Kurtz Woods State Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grafton?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.0 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Grafton?
9,965 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grafton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 294 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Grafton have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 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 Grafton 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 →