Iron County Forest
Managed by Iron County
33,370 acres14.6 mi of trail
Moose LoopMercer SpringsSpruce Hills TrailHomestead Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Cbradshaw · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Mercer
More than half of Mercer’s land is conserved: 55%
55% of Mercer’s land is conserved, about 59,705 acres. 32,744 acres are parks and preserves, 22,050 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Iron County Forest (14.6 mi), Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area (7.6 mi), Northern Highland American Legion State Forest (5 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
55%
59,705 acres · of 168.5 sq mi of land
Trails
51 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
32,744 ac
22,050 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.2 mi
4.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
71
12 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Mercer?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mercer have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mercer is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mercer’s overall grade.
Conserved land55% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (51 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land22,050 acres of park per 1,000 residents (32,744 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home61% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Water is 9% of Mercer’s area (16 of 185 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 51%.
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 Iron County Forest, with 14.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
15,602 acres7.6 mi of trail
Osprey LoopHomestead TrailMoose LoopBluebid Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Northern Highland American Legion State Forest
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
19,469 acres5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Twin Lakes Forest
Managed by The Conservation Fund
3,733 acres4.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Iron County Forest33,370 acres · 14.6 mi of trail · Iron County
Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area15,602 acres · 7.6 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Northern Highland American Legion State Forest19,469 acres · 5 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTwin Lakes Forest3,733 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · The Conservation Fund
Moose Lake State Natural Area4,285 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hay Creek-Hoffman Lake State Wildlife Area120 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lake of the Falls County Park45 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Frog Lake And Pines State Natural Area1,069 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Flambeau River State Forest224 acres
Flambeau Wetlands State Natural Area58 acres
Mercer Station43 acres
Ashland County Forest38 acres
Carow Park13 acres · Town of Mercer
Veterans Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
59,705 conserved acres
55% of Mercer’s land. Water is left out: Mercer has 168.5 square miles of land and 16.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mercer’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County32,243 ac
State natural resources27,945 ac
Private owners5,616 ac
Local Conservation Area · 32,199 acState Conservation Area · 18,180 acState Resource Management Area · 6,060 acForest Stewardship Easement · 5,255 acUnknown Easement · 3,646 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,864 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 32,160 | Open |
| Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 14,415 | Restricted |
| Forest Legacy Program State Resource Management Area | Private owners | 5,615 | Open |
| Moose Lake State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3,786 | Restricted |
| Scattered Forest Lands State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 198 | Open |
| Scattered Forest Land - Nw State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 198 | Open |
| Flambeau River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 196 | Open |
| Hay Creek-Hoffman Lake Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 146 | Open |
| Natural Area State Conservation Area | County | 44 | Restricted |
| State Natural Area - Nw State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 44 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
51 places to go in Mercer
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mercer
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Mercer
Sportsman's LandingIn Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area
DirectionsTrude Lake LandingIn Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area
DirectionsPlus 10 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Mercer
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Mercer
Clair de Loon
DirectionsCampgrounds in Mercer
Group AreaFee · In Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsGroup AreaFee · In Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLake of the Falls CampgroundsFee · In Lake of the Falls County Park
DirectionsManitowish Canoe 51In Northern Highland American Legion State Forest · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsManitowish Canoe 52In Northern Highland American Legion State Forest · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsManitowish Canoe 53Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsManitowish Canoe 54In Frog Lake And Pines State Natural Area · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Directions36 campgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 53 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.2 mi
Moose Loop2.3 mi
Mercer Springs2.0 mi
Homestead Trail1.8 mi
Osprey Loop1.4 mi
Klondike Trail1.2 mi
Wolf Loop1.1 mi
Otter Loop1.0 mi
Spruce Hills Trail0.9 mi
Bluebid Trail0.6 mi
Voss Lake Trail0.6 mi
6 more trails
Birch Trail
0.3 miWarm-Up Loop
0.3 miDonner Pass
0.2 miEsker Trail
0.1 miFox Cutoff
0.1 miBridge Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Allen LakelakeBeaver LakeBelding LakeBluegill LakelakeBrandt LakelakeCatherine LakelakeCedar LakelakeCrystal LakelakeDead Horse LakelakeDeer LakelakeEcho LakelakeFeely LakelakeFisher LakereservoirFlannagan LakelakeForest Wander Lake 17reservoirFox LakelakeFrog LakeGeyser LakepondGrand Portage LakelakeGrant LakelakeHazel LakeHobbs LakepondJudd LakepondKelly LakelakeKinder LakelakeLake SixlakeLake TahoelakeLake of the FallsreservoirLittle Martha LakelakeLittle Moose LakelakeLittle Oxbow LakelakeLittle Pike LakelakeLittle Turtle River FlowagereservoirLost LakepondMargaret LakelakeMartha LakelakeMercer LakelakeMoose LakelakeNet LakelakeNokomis LakelakeNorth Bass LakelakeNorth Grant LakelakeOne Man LakelakeOxbow LakelakePaul LakepondPayment LakelakePike LakelakePlantation LakePlunkett LakelakeRice LakelakeLittle Turtle RiverManitowish RiverTurtle River
Biking & sports
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Mercer
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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 25 | 37 | 50 | 64 | 74 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mercer →
Next door
Mercer and its neighbors
Mercer has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sherman58 miMercer51 miOma27 miKnight25 miWinchester22 miManitowish Waters15 miAgenda15 miCarey6.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 55% | 0.3 | 22,050 | 61% | A |
| Sherman | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Oma | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Knight | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carey | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Agenda | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Winchester | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Manitowish Waters | — 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 Mercer
Where can I hike in Mercer?
The longest trail networks: Iron County Forest, 14.6 miles; Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area, 7.6 miles; Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, 5 miles; Twin Lakes Forest, 4.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mercer is conserved land?
55% 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 Mercer’s trails?
Iron County Forest and Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mercer?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mercer?
297,014 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mercer or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 55,428 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mercer have?
Ahead of 88% 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 Mercer 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 →