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Franklin Lake CampgroundFranklin Lake Campground · Public domain
–Not graded
Outdoors in Hiles

More than half of Hiles’ land is conserved: 87%

87% of Hiles’ land is conserved, about 73,994 acres. The biggest trail networks: Headwaters Wilderness - Kimball Creek Unit (7.9 mi), Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area (4.8 mi), Headwaters Wilderness - Headwaters Of The Pine Unit (2.9 mi). 23 acres are parks and preserves, 53 per 1,000 residents.

Conserved land
87%
73,994 acres · of 132.2 sq mi of land
Trails
98 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
23 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
20%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
44
1 boat launch
The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

1234
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 Headwaters Wilderness - Kimball Creek Unit, with 7.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Headwaters Wilderness - Kimball Creek Unit

Managed by United States Forest Service
6,657 acres7.9 mi of trail
Forest Trail 3510
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗

Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area

Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2,082 acres4.8 mi of trail
Luna Lake TrailWhite Deer Lake TrailSevenmile TrailHidden Lakes Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Headwaters Wilderness - Headwaters Of The Pine Unit

Managed by United States Forest Service
6,224 acres2.9 mi of trail
Forest Road 2413
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Headwaters Wilderness - Shelp Lake Unit

Managed by United States Forest Service
3,490 acres1.9 mi of trail
Giant White Pine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Headwaters Wilderness - Kimball Creek Unit6,657 acres · 7.9 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area2,082 acres · 4.8 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Directions
Headwaters Wilderness - Headwaters Of The Pine Unit6,224 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Directions
Headwaters Wilderness - Shelp Lake Unit3,490 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Directions
Headwaters Wilderness16,371 acres · U.S. Forest Service
Who protects it

73,994 conserved acres

87% of Hiles’ land. Water is left out: Hiles has 132.2 square miles of land and 9.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hiles’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

U.S. Forest Service73,968 ac
State natural resources58 ac
County10 ac
National Forest · 73,968 acState Recreation Area · 40 acState Conservation Area · 23 acState Resource Management Area · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Nicolet National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service73,968Open
Statewide Public Access
State Recreation Area
State natural resources20Open
Statewide Public Access - Nw
State Recreation Area
State natural resources20Open
Natural Area
State Conservation Area
County10Restricted
Atkins Lake And Hiles Swamp State Natural Area
State Conservation Area
State natural resources10Restricted
State Owned Islands - Nw
State Resource Management Area
State natural resources5Open
State Owned Islands
State Conservation Area
State natural resources3Open
Things to do

9 places to go in Hiles

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Campgrounds in Hiles
Franklin Lake CampgroundUnited States Forest Service
Directions
Franklin Lake Recreation AreaFee · USFS
Directions
Luna White Deer CampgroundIn Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area
Directions
Pine Lake Recreation Area CampgroundFee · USFS
Directions
Seven Mile Lake CampgroundFee
Directions

Plus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.

Trails & water

22 named trails and 44 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Unpaved · 13.8 mi
Forest Trail 351011.3 mi
Hidden Lakes Trail3.8 mi
Forest Trail 35222.2 mi
National Forest Road 24302.0 mi
Luna Lake Trail1.9 mi
Forest Road 24131.9 mi
Giant White Pine Trail1.8 mi
Sevenmile Trail1.7 mi
Brown Landing1.6 mi
White Deer Lake Trail1.4 mi
12 more trails
Forest Road 2494
1.3 mi
Nelson Landing
1.3 mi
Anvil Butternut Trail
1.2 mi
Franklin Nature Trail
1.1 mi
Forest Rd 2493
1.1 mi
Forest Road 3861
0.8 mi
Anvil Ninemile Trail
0.7 mi
Scott Lake Trail
0.5 mi
Forest Road 3910
0.5 mi
Forest Trail 3516
0.3 mi
Forest Road 2625
0.3 mi
Luna White Deer Trail
0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Atkins LakelakeBailey LakelakeBose LakelakeBrule SpringslakeButternut LakelakeEcho LakeFour Ducks LakelakeFranklin LakelakeFurbush LakeGertrude LakelakeHarmony LakelakeHarriet LakelakeHay Meadow Flowage 7reservoirHiles Mill PondlakeHowell LakelakeIndian Camp LakelakeJulia LakelakeLittle Pine LakelakeLone Wolf LakelakeLuna LakelakeMayflower LakelakeMcKinley LakelakePat Shay LakelakePine LakelakeQuartz LakelakeRobbins LakelakeScott LakeShelp LakeSunfish LakelakeThree Johns LakelakeTwo Sisters LakeslakeWhite Deer LakelakeWildcat Creek ImpoundmentreservoirWolf LakeWoodbury LakelakeBrule CreekEagle RiverHowell CreekKimball CreekNorth Branch Pine RiverPine CreekPine RiverWest Branch Peshtigo RiverWolf River
Biking & sports

0.0 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

Courts & fields
1Basketball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

1 place on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).

History →
Franklin Lake CampgroundDistrict · listed 1988
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Hiles: May and August

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.010.311.813.514.915.715.414.112.510.89.48.7
High (°F)222738516574777567533826
Rain (in)1.21.11.72.93.54.14.03.43.73.52.01.6

February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hiles →

Next door

Hiles and its neighbors

Hiles has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Hiles98 miAlvin83 miArgonne69 miPhelps20 miCrandon18 miPiehl14 miWashington12 miThree Lakes9.6 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Hiles— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Three Lakes26%0.11,40526%B+
Argonne— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Phelps63%0.23424%B+
Piehl— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Alvin— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Crandon— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Washington36%0.313416%B+

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Hiles

Where can I hike in Hiles?

The longest trail networks: Headwaters Wilderness - Kimball Creek Unit, 7.9 miles; Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area, 4.8 miles; Headwaters Wilderness - Headwaters Of The Pine Unit, 2.9 miles; Headwaters Wilderness - Shelp Lake Unit, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

Are dogs allowed on Hiles’ trails?

OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Haymeadow Flowage State Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Hiles?

246,080 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hiles or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48,612 of them inside the town line.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hiles neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →