Dorothy Carnes Park East
Managed by Jefferson County
248 acres4.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: James Steakley · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson
Jefferson has 1,660 acres of parks, 866 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Jefferson’s land is conserved, about 3,429 acres. The biggest trail networks: Dorothy Carnes Park East (4.7 mi), Dorothy Carnes Park West (4.6 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,429 acres · of 42.5 sq mi of land
Trails
9.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,660 ac
866 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.2 mi
5.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Jefferson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jefferson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land866 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,660 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Dorothy Carnes Park East, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dorothy Carnes Park West
Nature preserve
162 acres4.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Jefferson Marsh Wildlife Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2,404 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Jefferson Tamarack Swamp State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,624 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Dorothy Carnes Park East248 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Jefferson County
DirectionsDorothy Carnes Park West162 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsJefferson Marsh Wildlife Area2,404 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsJefferson Tamarack Swamp State Natural Area1,624 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Crawfish River Park18 acres · Jefferson County
Pohlman Park11 acres · Jefferson County
Who protects it
3,429 conserved acres
13% of Jefferson’s land. Who manages Jefferson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,669 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,809 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,556 ac
County280 ac
Bureau of Land Management8 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,624 acUnknown Easement · 1,809 acConservation Easement · 1,541 acState Conservation Area · 223 acLocal Park · 56 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 716 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Marsh State Wildlife And Natural Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2,403 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 223 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 223 | Restricted |
| Dorothy Cranes Park Local Park | County | 56 | Open |
| Glacial Drumlin State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 23 | Open |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 8 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Jefferson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jefferson
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Jefferson
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Jefferson
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jefferson
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Michael and Margaritha Beck FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Jefferson
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) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson →
Next door
Jefferson and its neighbors
Jefferson has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 13% | 0.2 | 866 | 30% | B+ |
| Sullivan | 14% | 0.1 | 1,156 | 42% | B+ |
| Hebron | 12% | under 0.1 | 804 | 11% | B− |
| Koshkonong | 5% | 0.2 | 255 | 49% | B |
| Farmington | 3% | under 0.1 | 42 | 20% | C |
| Aztalan | 3% | 0.2 | 596 | 66% | B+ |
| Oakland | 4% | 0.1 | 25 | 56% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jefferson
Where can I hike in Jefferson?
The longest trail networks: Dorothy Carnes Park East, 4.7 miles; Dorothy Carnes Park West, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson is conserved land?
13% 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 Jefferson’s trails?
Dorothy Carnes Park East and Dorothy Carnes Park West don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jefferson?
5.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jefferson?
21,545 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,688 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Jefferson 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 →