Muskego County Park
Park
195 acres5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Carl and Therese Schauwitzer House · Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Muskego
Muskego has 1,831 acres of parks, 72 for every 1,000 residents
33 miles of mapped trail cross Muskego, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Muskego County Park (5 mi), Badertscher Preserve (3.2 mi), Denoon Park (1.7 mi). 8% of Muskego’s land is conserved, about 1,700 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #54 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,700 acres · of 31.6 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,831 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
50 mi
6.0 mi lanes · 44 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
4 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Muskego?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Muskego have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Muskego is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #54 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Muskego’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,831 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home85% 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 90%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 85%
Water is 12% of Muskego’s area (4 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Muskego County Park, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Badertscher Preserve
Park
86 acres3.2 mi of trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yet
Denoon Park
Park
61 acres1.7 mi of trail
Muskego Cross Country Course
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Manchester Hill Park
Park
15 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Park Arthur
Park
52 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Idle Isle Overflow Parking
All 17 parks & preserves
Muskego County Park195 acres · 5 mi of trail
DirectionsBadertscher Preserve86 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
Denoon Park61 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBluhm Park52 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMoorland Park42 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsManchester Hill Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Park Arthur52 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsIdle Isle Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHorn Park31 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKurth Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area893 acres
Schmidt Park5 acres
Phil Sherman Park4 acres · Lake Forest Subdivision
Sand Hill Park4 acres · City of Muskego
DirectionsJensen Park3 acres
Holtz Island2 acres
Who protects it
1,700 conserved acres
8% of Muskego’s land. Water is left out: Muskego has 31.6 square miles of land and 4.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Muskego’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,247 ac
Town or city734 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)94 ac
State Recreation Area · 921 acLocal Conservation Area · 344 acLocal Park · 340 acUnknown Easement · 295 acConservation Easement · 111 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 935 | Open |
| Engel Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Badertscher Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 103 | Open |
| Denoon Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Park Arthur Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Bluhm Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Durham Conservation Site Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Moorland Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Horn Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
39 places to go in Muskego
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Muskego
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Muskego
2 swimming spots without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Muskego
23 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Muskego
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Muskego
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Muskego
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Muskego
Hole 2 Par 3In Denoon Park
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.2 mi
Muskego Cross Country Course1.7 mi
To Musekgo Dam0.2 mi
Biking & sports
50 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
44 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
24Basketball
24Tennis
23Baseball
18Soccer
8Beach volleyball
7Pickleball
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Muskego: July and September
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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 44 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Muskego →
Next door
Muskego and its neighbors
Muskego has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskego | 8% | 1.0 | 72 | 85% | A |
| New Berlin | 5% | 0.5 | 31 | 90% | A− |
| Vernon | 8% | 0.4 | 203 | 21% | B+ |
| Franklin | 9% | 0.7 | 107 | 92% | A |
| Norway | 2% | 0.2 | 8 | 46% | C |
| Wind Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Big Bend | under 1% | 0.5 | 13 | 49% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Muskego
Where can I hike in Muskego?
The longest trail networks: Muskego County Park, 5 miles; Badertscher Preserve, 3.2 miles; Denoon Park, 1.7 miles; Bluhm Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Muskego is conserved land?
8% 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 Muskego’s trails?
Muskego County Park and Badertscher Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Muskego?
50 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of painted or protected lanes and 44 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Muskego?
27,226 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Muskego or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,831 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Muskego have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #54 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 Muskego 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 →