Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Nature preserve
323 acres1.6 mi of trail
Bock Forest TrailPheasant Branch Conservancy West Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: James Steakley · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Middleton
Middleton has 18 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
16% of Middleton’s land is conserved, about 944 acres. 1,179 acres are parks and preserves, 53 per 1,000 residents. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #14 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
944 acres · of 9.5 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,179 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
37 mi
16 mi lanes · 19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Middleton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Middleton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Middleton is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #14 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Middleton’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land53 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,179 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home94% 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 96%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 96%
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 Pheasant Branch Conservancy, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Metropolitan Park
Managed by City of Middleton
129 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tiedeman Pond Conservancy
Nature preserve
31 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Middleton Hills South Park
Park
23 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Graber Pond Nature Preserve
Managed by City of Middleton
28 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 26 parks & preserves
Pheasant Branch Conservancy323 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMetropolitan Park129 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · City of Middleton
DirectionsEd Tallard Park21 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTiedeman Pond Conservancy31 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Middleton Hills South Park23 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPenni Klein Park37 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGraber Pond Nature Preserve28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Middleton
Middleton Firefighter's Memorial Park23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMiddleton Hills North Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsStricker Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Woodside Heights Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fireman's Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMeadow Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Stonefield Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Orchid Heights Park54 acres
DirectionsLakeview Community Park50 acres
DirectionsJohn Harvey & Lucille Taylor Memorial Park13 acres
Quarry Park10 acres
DirectionsParisi Park5 acres
DirectionsHinrich's Family Farm Park3 acres · City of Middleton
Parkside Heights Park2 acres
Black Earth Creek Natural Resource Area - Black Earth Creek Headwaters1 acres · Dane County
Marshall Park1 acres
DirectionsMendota County Park1 acres
DirectionsSpringtree Apartments Common1 acres
DirectionsMiddleton Ridge Park1 acres · City of Middleton
DirectionsWho protects it
944 conserved acres
16% of Middleton’s land. Who manages Middleton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city942 ac
State natural resources2 ac
County1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 344 acLocal Recreation Area · 302 acLocal Park · 297 acState Conservation Area · 1 acState Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pheasant Branch Conservancy Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 319 | Open |
| Pleasant View Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 302 | Open |
| Quisling Park Local Park | Town or city | 71 | Open |
| Orchid Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Lakeview Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Middleton Firefighters Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Parisi Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Strickner'S Pond Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Middleton Hills South Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| John Harvey & Lucille Taylor Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
42 places to go in Middleton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Middleton
37 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Middleton
Middleton Dog Exercise AreaIn Metropolitan Park
DirectionsPenni Klein Dog ParkIn Penni Klein Park
DirectionsSmall Dog AreaIn Metropolitan Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Middleton
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Middleton
Saban's ViewpointIn Pheasant Branch Conservancy
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.3 miUnpaved · 2.9 mi
The Fairway1.3 mi
Slice1.0 mi
Doubletrack Connector0.6 mi
Clubhouse0.5 mi
Mulligan0.5 mi
Misty Valley Trail0.3 mi
Pheasant Branch Conservancy West Trail0.3 mi
S/M Connector0.2 mi
Middleton Hills North Park Trail0.2 mi
Bock Forest Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Chip Shot
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
37 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
19 mi
off-road bike paths
2.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Misty Valley TrailBike route
0.3 miPheasant Branch Conservancy West TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
24Tennis
17Soccer
14Basketball
12Baseball
8Beach volleyball
3Pickleball
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Middleton
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 70 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Middleton →
Next door
Middleton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleton | 16% | 1.9 | 53 | 94% | A+ |
| Madison | 12% | 1.8 | 24 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Westport | 15% | 1.4 | 413 | 95% | A+ |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.2 | 297 | 32% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Middleton
Where can I hike in Middleton?
The longest trail networks: Pheasant Branch Conservancy, 1.6 miles; Metropolitan Park, 1.4 miles; Ed Tallard Park, 1.1 miles; Tiedeman Pond Conservancy, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Middleton is conserved land?
16% 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 Middleton’s trails?
Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Metropolitan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Middleton?
37 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Misty Valley Trail and Pheasant Branch Conservancy West Trail.
Is there public land near Middleton?
18,726 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Middleton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,179 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Middleton have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 Middleton 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 →