Merrimac Preserve
Managed by Riverland Conservancy
1,863 acres9.9 mi of trail
Ice Age TrailOak Savanna TrailPrairie View TrailHabitat Diversity Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Merrimac
Merrimac has 4,185 acres of parks, 3,893 for every 1,000 residents
32% of Merrimac’s land is conserved, about 5,026 acres. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Merrimac, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Merrimac Preserve (9.9 mi), Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area (7.7 mi), Devil's Lake State Park (7.3 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
5,026 acres · of 24.2 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,185 ac
3,893 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.4 mi
1.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,047 ft
Owls Head Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Merrimac?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Merrimac have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Merrimac is ahead of 93% 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 Merrimac’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land3,893 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,185 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home45% 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 93%
LessMore
Water is 7% of Merrimac’s area (2 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 30%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Merrimac Preserve, with 9.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,006 acres7.7 mi of trail
Northern Trails
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Devil's Lake State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
3,148 acres7.3 mi of trail
Roznos Meadow TrailSauk Point TrailUpland Trail LoopSteinke Basin Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
367 acres2.4 mi of trail
Sauk Point Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Parfrey's Glen State Natural AreaWebsite ↗
East Bluff State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
136 acres1.2 mi of trail
Upland Trail LoopEast Bluff Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Devil's Lake Oak Forest State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
62 acres0.6 mi of trail
Grottos TrailGroup Camp Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Merrimac Preserve1,863 acres · 9.9 mi of trail · Riverland Conservancy
DirectionsSauk Prairie State Recreation Area1,006 acres · 7.7 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDevil's Lake State Park3,148 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsParfrey's Glen State Natural Area367 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsEast Bluff State Natural Area136 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDevil's Lake Oak Forest State Natural Area62 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSouth Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area989 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Richard A. Grant Park7 acres
Summer Oaks County Park5 acres
DirectionsWayside4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,026 conserved acres
32% of Merrimac’s land. Water is left out: Merrimac has 24.2 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Merrimac’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources5,248 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits401 ac
Private owners141 ac
State Park · 4,149 acState Other or Unknown · 703 acState Conservation Area · 396 acUnknown Easement · 356 acPrivate Park · 141 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 357 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake State Park-Iansr State Park | State natural resources | 3,129 | Open |
| Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area State Park | State natural resources | 979 | Open |
| Sauk Prairie Recreation Area 1 State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 703 | Open |
| Parfreys Glen Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 391 | Restricted |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 141 | Open |
| Greenfield Moraines Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Open |
| Devils Lake State Park-Iansr 14 State Park | State natural resources | 41 | Open |
| Statewide Habitat Areas State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 4 | Restricted |
Things to do
11 places to go in Merrimac
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Merrimac
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Merrimac
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Merrimac
County Park Boat LaunchIn Summer Oaks County Park
DirectionsMoon Valley Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Merrimac
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Merrimac
Owls Head Hill1,047 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Merrimac
G3In Devil's Lake Oak Forest State Natural Area
DirectionsGroup CampgroundIn Devil's Lake State Park
DirectionsMerry Mac's Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
17 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 17.1 mi
Ice Age Trail3.6 mi
Sauk Point Trail2.8 mi
Roznos Meadow Trail2.2 mi
Prairie View Trail1.9 mi
Oak Savanna Trail1.7 mi
Upland Trail Loop1.5 mi
Habitat Diversity Trail1.1 mi
Lookout Trail0.9 mi
Steinke Basin Loop0.7 mi
East Bluff Woods Trail0.6 mi
7 more trails
Northern Trails
0.5 miGrottos Trail
0.4 miGroup Camp Trail
0.3 miEagle Scout Nature Trail
0.3 miIAT - Sauk Point segment parking spur
0.2 miAccess to Old Sandstone
0.2 miCCC Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
5.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
4Tennis
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Merrimac
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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Merrimac →
Next door
Merrimac and its neighbors
Merrimac has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sumpter37 miMerrimac36 miBaraboo9.4 miWest Point8.6 miGreenfield5.7 miLake Wisconsin5.0 miCaledonia0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | 32% | 1.5 | 3,893 | 45% | A |
| Lake Wisconsin | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| West Point | 3% | 0.3 | 150 | 19% | B− |
| Sumpter | 38% | 1.0 | 7,827 | 71% | A+ |
| Greenfield | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Caledonia | 18% | under 0.1 | 2,634 | 16% | B |
| Baraboo | 20% | 0.3 | 2,249 | 49% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Merrimac
Where can I hike in Merrimac?
The longest trail networks: Merrimac Preserve, 9.9 miles; Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area, 7.7 miles; Devil's Lake State Park, 7.3 miles; Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Merrimac is conserved land?
32% 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 Merrimac’s trails?
Merrimac Preserve and Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Merrimac?
7.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths and 5.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Merrimac?
31,850 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Merrimac or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,189 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Merrimac have?
Ahead of 93% 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 Merrimac 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 →