Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
Nature preserve
80 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Arnmhs · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Menasha
5% of Menasha’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Heckrodt Wetland Reserve (2.6 mi), Jefferson Park (0.5 mi). 4.2 miles of mapped trail cross Menasha, 0.7 per square mile of land. 5% of Menasha’s land is conserved, about 210 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #118 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
210 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.2 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
238 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
3.7 mi lanes · 7.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Menasha?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Menasha have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Menasha is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #118 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Menasha’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (238 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% 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 78%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 68%
Water is 22% of Menasha’s area (2 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 14 parks & preserves
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve80 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsJefferson Park43 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSmith Park25 acres
DirectionsClovis Grove Park16 acres
DirectionsKoslo Park12 acres
DirectionsBarker Farms Park9 acres
DirectionsPleasants Park5 acres
DirectionsHart Park4 acres
DirectionsShepard Park3 acres
Canal Commons2 acres
DirectionsMunicipal Beach1 acres
DirectionsWinz Park1 acres
Clinton Center Park1 acres
Scanlan Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
210 conserved acres
5% of Menasha’s land. Water is left out: Menasha has 6.0 square miles of land and 1.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Menasha’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city207 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Bureau of Land Management1 ac
Local Park · 107 acLocal Conservation Area · 100 acState Park · 1 acNational Public Lands · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heckrodt Wetland Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Menasha Conservancy Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Jefferson Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Smith Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Clovis Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Koslo Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Barker Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Pleasant Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Hart Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Shepard Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Menasha
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Menasha
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Menasha
Heckrodt Wild SpaceIn Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
DirectionsJungle GymIn Jefferson Park
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Menasha
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Menasha
Trestle Trail Fishing Point East
DirectionsTrestle Trail Fishing Point West
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Tennis
13Basketball
4Beach volleyball
4Baseball
3Pickleball
3Soccer
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Upper Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itGustav Augustin BlockBuilding · listed 1986
About itTayco Street BridgeStructure · listed 1986
About itWashington Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itCarl Koch BlockBuilding · listed 1986
About itUS Post Office-MenashaBuilding · listed 1986
About itMenasha DamStructure · listed 1993
About itBanta, George, Sr. and Ellen, HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Menasha
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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 30 | 41 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Menasha →
Next door
Menasha 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menasha | 5% | 0.7 | 13 | 98% | A− |
| Fox Crossing | 3% | 0.3 | 16 | 94% | B |
| Harrison | 5% | 0.5 | 70 | 62% | B+ |
| Appleton | 5% | 0.5 | 12 | 92% | B+ |
| Neenah | 6% | 0.2 | 14 | 99% | B+ |
| Harrison | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Menasha
Where can I hike in Menasha?
The longest trail networks: Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, 2.6 miles; Jefferson Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Menasha is conserved land?
5% 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 Menasha’s trails?
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve and Jefferson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Menasha?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of painted or protected lanes, 7.1 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Menasha?
8,056 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Menasha or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 239 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Menasha have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #118 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 Menasha 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 →