Sidie Hollow County Park
Park
362 acres0.4 mi of trail
Lake Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson
Jefferson has 1,338 acres of parks, 989 for every 1,000 residents
1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson. 29% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Jefferson’s land is conserved, about 1,317 acres.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,317 acres · of 46.9 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,338 ac
989 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.7 mi
3.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
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 49% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land989 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,338 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home29% 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 49%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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 Sidie Hollow County Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Duck Egg County Forest
Nature preserve
704 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Esofea/Rentz Memorial County Park
Park
135 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Runge Hollow Recreation Area
Park
113 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,317 conserved acres
4% of Jefferson’s land. Who manages Jefferson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County867 ac
State natural resources403 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service49 ac
Local Conservation Area · 867 acState Conservation Area · 333 acConservation Easement · 118 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 117 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 867 | Open |
| Bad Axe Watershed State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 333 | Closed |
Things to do
6 places to go in Jefferson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Jefferson
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Jefferson
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Jefferson
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jefferson
Esofea/Rentz Memorial Park CampgroundFee · In Esofea/Rentz Memorial County Park
DirectionsSidie Hollow County Park Main CampgroundIn Sidie Hollow County Park
DirectionsSidie Hollow County Park Ridge CampgroundFee · In Sidie Hollow County Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Lake Loop0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The walking year 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 30 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 43 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.4 |
January is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson →
Next door
Jefferson and its neighbors
Jefferson has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 | 4% | under 0.1 | 989 | 29% | B− |
| Viroqua | 1% | under 0.1 | 76 | 12% | C |
| Harmony | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Franklin | 2% | under 0.1 | 510 | 6% | C |
| Viroqua | 1% | 0.8 | 15 | 97% | 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: Sidie Hollow County Park, 0.4 miles; Duck Egg County Forest, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson is conserved land?
4% 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?
Sidie Hollow County Park and Duck Egg County Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jefferson?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Jefferson?
4,038 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,338 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson have?
Ahead of 49% 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 →