New Amsterdam Grasslands
Nature preserve
310 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bridge No. 4 · Photo: Martin Stupich · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Holland
Holland has 4,179 acres of parks, 923 for every 1,000 residents
33% of Holland’s land is conserved, about 8,412 acres. The biggest trail networks: New Amsterdam Grasslands (3 mi), Holland Sand Prairie State Natural Area (1.9 mi), Van Loon Wildlife Area (1.8 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #45 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
8,412 acres · of 39.6 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,179 ac
923 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
4.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Holland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Holland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Holland is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #45 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Holland’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land923 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,179 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home78% 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 90%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 88%
Water is 8% of Holland’s area (3 of 43 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 31%.
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 New Amsterdam Grasslands, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Holland Sand Prairie State Natural Area
Nature preserve
63 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Van Loon Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
3,126 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
2,910 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
New Amsterdam Grasslands310 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsHolland Sand Prairie State Natural Area63 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsVan Loon Wildlife Area3,126 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge2,910 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
La Crosse County5 acres
Stephenson Farmstead Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
8,412 conserved acres
33% of Holland’s land. Water is left out: Holland has 39.6 square miles of land and 3.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Holland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service8,289 ac
State natural resources3,864 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits310 ac
Other state land62 ac
Town or city26 ac
Private owners1 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 8,289 acState Recreation Area · 3,769 acLocal Conservation Area · 310 acConservation Easement · 63 acState Conservation Area · 62 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 8,289 | Restricted |
| Van Loon Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3,727 | Open |
| New Amsterdam Grasslands Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 310 | Open |
| Holland Sand Prairie State Natural Area State Conservation Area | Other state land | 62 | Open |
| Mississippi Islands Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 43 | Restricted |
| Great River State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 32 | Open |
| Town Holland Hall & Ballfield & Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Gaynors Rolling Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Holland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Holland
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Holland
King's Bluff
DirectionsCampgrounds in Holland
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Baseball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Holland
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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 31 | 43 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Holland →
Next door
Holland and its neighbors
Holland has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Holland14 miRichmond Township9.4 miOnalaska4.8 miFarmington4.3 miGale3.2 miHolmen1.2 miCaledonia0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland | 33% | 0.3 | 923 | 78% | A |
| Holmen | 1% | 0.2 | 15 | 99%+ | B |
| Caledonia | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Gale | under 1% | 0.1 | 13 | 6% | C− |
| Onalaska | 20% | 0.1 | 22 | 68% | B+ |
| Farmington | under 1% | 0.1 | 76 | 16% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Holland
Where can I hike in Holland?
The longest trail networks: New Amsterdam Grasslands, 3 miles; Holland Sand Prairie State Natural Area, 1.9 miles; Van Loon Wildlife Area, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Holland is conserved land?
33% 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 Holland’s trails?
New Amsterdam Grasslands and Holland Sand Prairie State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Holland?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Holland?
16,450 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Holland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,179 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Holland have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Holland 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 →