Mangan Woods
Nature preserve
97 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Whitnall Park Golf Course
Greendale Historic District · Photo: Freekee · CC0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Greendale
22% of Greendale’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 22% of Greendale’s land is conserved, about 799 acres. 1,164 acres are parks and preserves, 80 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #2 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
799 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
6.0 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,164 ac
80 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 5.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Greendale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greendale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greendale is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #2 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greendale’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land80 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,164 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)#2 of 362
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 Mangan Woods, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 16 parks & preserves
Mangan Woods97 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRoot River Parkway743 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDale Creek Parkway47 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCollege Park27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCanterbury Playfields14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCanterbury Woods9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsEdgerton Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsScout Lake Park80 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSherwood Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCommunity Center Park32 acres
DirectionsGrootemat Nature Preserve20 acres
DirectionsGrobschmidt Park13 acres
College Park Elementary Park8 acres
DirectionsTrimborn Farm8 acres · Milwaukee County Historical Society
Jaycee Park5 acres
DirectionsLions Park3 acres
Who protects it
799 conserved acres
22% of Greendale’s land. Who manages Greendale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County622 ac
Town or city114 ac
Not recorded129 ac
Local Park · 865 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root River Parks Local Park | County | 550 | Open |
| Scout Lake Park Local Park | Not recorded | 136 | Open |
| Dale Creek Parkway Local Park | Not recorded | 45 | Open |
| Community Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| College Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Edgerton Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Sherwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Trimborn Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Grobschmidt Park Local Park | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Trimborn Farm Local Park | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in Greendale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Greendale
29 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Greendale
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
35Tennis
16Baseball
11Pickleball
8Soccer
3Beach volleyball
3Football
3Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Greendale: 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 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 44 | 56 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 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 Greendale →
Next door
Greendale and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greendale | 22% | 1.1 | 80 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Greenfield | 3% | 0.5 | 15 | 96% | B+ |
| Franklin | 9% | 0.7 | 107 | 92% | A |
| Hales Corners | 15% | 2.2 | 40 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greendale
Where can I hike in Greendale?
The longest trail networks: Mangan Woods, 1.4 miles; Root River Parkway, 1.1 miles; Dale Creek Parkway, 0.8 miles; College Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greendale is conserved land?
22% 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 Greendale’s trails?
Mangan Woods and Root River Parkway don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greendale?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 5.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Greendale?
19,500 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greendale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,164 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Greendale have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Greendale 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 →