Photo: 123dieinafire · CC BY 3.07% of Hudson’s land is conserved: 288 acres
91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 340 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 2.7 miles of mapped trail cross Hudson, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #129 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hudson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hudson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hudson is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #129 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.
Water is 11% of Hudson’s area (1 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Grandview Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Prospect Park
All 15 parks & preserves
288 conserved acres
7% of Hudson’s land. Water is left out: Hudson has 6.8 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hudson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 154 | Open |
| Grandview Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Prospect Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Birkmose Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Weitkamp Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Lakefront Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Coons Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Williams Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Burton Park & Field Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Anderson Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
40 places to go in Hudson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Plus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
2 more on the History page.
The walking year in Hudson
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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 29 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
February is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hudson →
Hudson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson | 7% | 0.4 | 23 | 91% | A− |
| North Hudson | 6% | under 0.1 | 25 | 99%+ | B |
| Troy | 3% | 0.2 | 16 | 32% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hudson
Where can I hike in Hudson?
The longest trail networks: Grandview Park, 0.3 miles; Prospect Park, 0.3 miles; Lakefront Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hudson 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 Hudson’s trails?
Grandview Park and Prospect Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hudson?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hudson?
19,375 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hudson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 340 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hudson have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #129 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 Hudson neighbors.
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 →