1000 Islands Environmental Center
Nature preserve
184 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tjrudebeck at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Kaukauna
Kaukauna has 5.2 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: 1000 Islands Environmental Center (2.2 mi). 253 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #180 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
139 acres · of 8.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
253 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.1 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 8.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Kaukauna?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kaukauna have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kaukauna is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #180 of 362 in Wisconsin. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kaukauna’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (253 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 50%
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 1000 Islands Environmental Center, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kaukauna Locks
Park
32 acres0.3 mi of trail
Kaukauna Interpretative Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kelso Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
1000 Islands Environmental Center184 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKaukauna Locks32 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKelso Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Horseshoe Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrignon Park33 acres
DirectionsRiverside Park15 acres
DirectionsJonen Park14 acres
La Follette Park11 acres
White City Park9 acres
DirectionsCentral Park5 acres
DirectionsHydro Park3 acres
DirectionsStrassburg Park2 acres
Thelen Park2 acres
Who protects it
139 conserved acres
3% of Kaukauna’s land. Who manages Kaukauna’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city139 ac
Local Park · 136 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gringon Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Doty Bayorgeon Recreaion Area Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Community Fields Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Horseshoe Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| La Follette Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Jonen Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| White City Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Ce Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
30 places to go in Kaukauna
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kaukauna
21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Kaukauna
Kaukauna Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Kaukauna
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Kaukauna
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Kaukauna
Nelson OverlookIn 1000 Islands Environmental Center
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Kaukauna
Camp WinnecomacGirl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.8 mi
Kaukauna Interpretative Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Kaukauna Interpretative TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
17Tennis
12Baseball
10Soccer
5Basketball
2Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →18 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Charles A. Grignon HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itCapt. Matthew J. Meade HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itCharles W. Stribley HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itFargo's Furniture StoreBuilding · listed 1984
About itFrank St. Andrews HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itFree Public Library of KaukaunaBuilding · listed 1984
About itHoly Cross ChurchBuilding · listed 1984
About itKlein Dairy FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itKuehn Blacksmith Shop-Hardware StoreBuilding · listed 1984
About itLindauer and Rupert BlockBuilding · listed 1984
About itMartens, Julius J., Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itMerritt Black HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About it6 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Kaukauna
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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Kaukauna →
Next door
Kaukauna and its neighbors
Kaukauna has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaukauna | 3% | 0.6 | 14 | 95% | B+ |
| Buchanan | 2% | 0.1 | 7 | 86% | C |
| Vandenbroek | under 1% | 0.1 | 29 | 41% | C− |
| Little Chute | 3% | 0.3 | 13 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Combined Locks | 9% | 0.6 | 38 | 99%+ | A |
| Harrison | 5% | 0.5 | 70 | 62% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kaukauna
Where can I hike in Kaukauna?
The longest trail networks: 1000 Islands Environmental Center, 2.2 miles; Kaukauna Locks, 0.3 miles; Kelso Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kaukauna is conserved land?
3% 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 Kaukauna’s trails?
1000 Islands Environmental Center and Kaukauna Locks don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kaukauna?
8.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 8.0 of off-road paths. Named routes: Kaukauna Interpretative Trail.
Is there public land near Kaukauna?
9,393 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kaukauna or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 253 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Kaukauna have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #180 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 Kaukauna 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 →