South Wood County Park
Park
316 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has 357 acres of parks, 47 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: South Wood County Park (1.1 mi). 7.7 miles of mapped trail cross Grand Rapids, 0.4 per square mile of land. 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #226 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
431 acres · of 20.1 sq mi of land
Trails
7.7 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
357 ac
47 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
2.1 mi lanes · 3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Grand Rapids have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grand Rapids is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #226 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 Grand Rapids’ overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land47 acres of park per 1,000 residents (357 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home55% 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 62%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 38%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 South Wood County Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Weslan Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Nepco Lake County Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
431 conserved acres
3% of Grand Rapids’ land. Who manages Grand Rapids’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County281 ac
State natural resources122 ac
Private owners28 ac
Local Park · 309 acState Resource Management Area · 122 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Wood County Park Local Park | County | 281 | Open |
| Griffith Nursery State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 122 | Restricted |
| Grand Rapids Lions Park Local Park | Private owners | 28 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Grand Rapids
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grand Rapids
White Sands BeachIn South Wood County Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Grand Rapids
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Grand Rapids
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Grand Rapids
Camp SacajaweaGirl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes
DirectionsSouth Wood County Park CampgroundFee · In South Wood County Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Grand Rapids
Willow Run Disc Golf CourseIn South Wood County Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miUnpaved · 3.2 mi
Ahdawagam Green Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Ahdawagam Green TrailBike route
0.4 miAhdawagam Purple TrailBike route
0.4 miCourts & fields
4Tennis
4Soccer
2Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Grand Rapids
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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 30 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 42 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Grand Rapids →
Next door
Grand Rapids and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Port Edwards15 miWisconsin Rapids12 miGrand Rapids7.7 miSaratoga5.0 miGrant1.9 miBiron1.7 miLake Wazeecha1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | 3% | 0.4 | 47 | 55% | B |
| Wisconsin Rapids | 2% | 0.9 | 10 | 80% | B |
| Port Edwards | 6% | 2.5 | 99 | 97% | A+ |
| Biron | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Grant | 11% | under 0.1 | 2,197 | 16% | B− |
| Lake Wazeecha | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Saratoga | 2% | 0.1 | 103 | 10% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grand Rapids
Where can I hike in Grand Rapids?
The longest trail networks: South Wood County Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grand Rapids is conserved land?
3% 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 Grand Rapids’ trails?
South Wood County Park and Weslan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grand Rapids?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes and 3.5 of off-road paths. Named routes: Ahdawagam Green Trail and Ahdawagam Purple Trail.
Is there public land near Grand Rapids?
17,863 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grand Rapids or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 357 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Grand Rapids have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #226 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 Grand Rapids 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 →