Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit
Nature preserve
263 acres4.5 mi of trail
Ice Age TrailAstronomy Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hartford
Hartford has 16 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit (4.5 mi), Paul Quick Conservancy (1.5 mi), Rubicon River Trail Park (0.6 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7% of Hartford’s land is conserved, about 419 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #65 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
419 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
381 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 3.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Hartford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hartford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hartford is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #65 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hartford’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (381 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home88% 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 88%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 82%
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 Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Paul Quick Conservancy
Managed by City of Hartford
119 acres1.5 mi of trail
Wildcat Habitat Nature Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rubicon River Trail Park
Park
76 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Veterans Memorial Park
Managed by City of Hartford
28 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Washington County Family Park
Park
19 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Centennial Park
Managed by City of Hartford
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit263 acres · 4.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPaul Quick Conservancy119 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Hartford
DirectionsRubicon River Trail Park76 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodlawn Union Park20 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsIndependence Park61 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park28 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Hartford
DirectionsWashington County Family Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCentennial Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Hartford
DirectionsCountry View Park27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Hartford
West Side Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJordan Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Hartford
DirectionsWillowbrook Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsChandelier Ballroom6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeview Acres Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Wilson Wildlife Wetlands135 acres
DirectionsJoseph P. Marx Woods Nature Preserve130 acres
DirectionsCharles Brassure Conservancy20 acres · City of Hartford
DirectionsHomestead Park4 acres · City of Hartford
Hartford Town Hall Park1 acres · Town of Hartford
DirectionsRotary Park1 acres
DirectionsSawyer Park1 acres · City of Hartford
DirectionsBernd Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
419 conserved acres
7% of Hartford’s land. Who manages Hartford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources216 ac
Town or city144 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits59 ac
State Resource Management Area · 216 acLocal Park · 144 acConservation Easement · 59 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 59 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle Moraine State Forest-Pike Lake Unit State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 216 | Open |
| Independence Park Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Country View Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Woodlawn Union Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Willowbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| West Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sawyer Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Candy Cane Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
27 places to go in Hartford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hartford
McDonald's PlayPlace
DirectionsPlayground #1In Independence Park
DirectionsPlayground #2In Independence Park
DirectionsPlayground #3In Independence Park
DirectionsPlayground #4In Independence Park
DirectionsPlayground 1In Woodlawn Union Park
DirectionsPlayground 2In Woodlawn Union Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Hartford
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hartford
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Hartford
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Hartford
B-1Fee · In Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsB-2Fee · In Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsB-3Fee · In Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsKettle Moraine State Forest – Pike Lake Unit CampgroundIn Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit
DirectionsDisc golf in Hartford
Woodlawn Disc Golf CourseIn Woodlawn Union Park
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.7 mi
Ice Age Trail0.6 mi
Wildcat Habitat Nature Loop0.6 mi
Astronomy Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.2 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Rubicon River TrailBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
15Tennis
12Baseball
12Soccer
12Pickleball
9Beach volleyball
7Basketball
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Otto P. Kissel HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itGeorge A. Kissel HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itLouis Kissel HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itWilliam L. Kissel HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itKissel's Addition Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itKissel's Wheelock Addition Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itSchwartz BallroomBuilding · listed 1998
About itSchwartz Family HomeBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Hartford
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) | 26 | 30 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hartford →
Next door
Hartford and its neighbors
Hartford has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Hartford
Where can I hike in Hartford?
The longest trail networks: Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit, 4.5 miles; Paul Quick Conservancy, 1.5 miles; Rubicon River Trail Park, 0.6 miles; Woodlawn Union Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hartford is conserved land?
7% 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 Hartford’s trails?
Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit and Paul Quick Conservancy don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hartford?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 3.2 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Rubicon River Trail.
Is there public land near Hartford?
10,420 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hartford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 659 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hartford have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #65 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 Hartford 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 →