Lake Ripley Management District Preserve
Nature preserve
208 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pokrandt Blacksmith Shop · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Oakland
Oakland has 81 acres of parks, 25 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lake Ripley Management District Preserve (2 mi). 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Oakland, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Oakland’s land is conserved, about 956 acres.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #282 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
956 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
81 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oakland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oakland is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #282 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oakland’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (81 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home56% 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 48%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 22%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Lake Ripley Management District Preserve, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
445 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ripley Park
Park
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Cambridge Wildlife and Fishing Area
Managed by Village of Cambridge
1 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Ripley Management District Preserve208 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsCambridge Wildlife and Fishing Area1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Cambridge
Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area445 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Ripley Park15 acres
Oakland Estates Community Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
956 conserved acres
4% of Oakland’s land. Who manages Oakland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service473 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)328 ac
Joint226 ac
Private owners157 ac
State natural resources121 ac
County113 ac
Regional agency58 ac
Resource Management Area · 473 acAgricultural Easement · 451 acState Conservation Area · 163 acPrivate Park · 131 acConservation Easement · 102 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 328 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 473 | Restricted |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 131 | Open |
| Scattered Wildlife State Conservation Area | County | 113 | Restricted |
| Lake District Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 58 | Open |
| Red Cedar Lake Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 50 | Restricted |
| Scattered Wildlife - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 46 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 26 | Open |
| Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground State Conservation Area | County | 26 | Restricted |
| Ripley Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Open |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Oakland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Oakland
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Oakland
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Oakland
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Tennis
2Pickleball
1Volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Pokrandt Blacksmith ShopBuilding · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Oakland
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 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Oakland →
Next door
Oakland and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Christiana12 miLake Mills10 miJefferson9.5 miOakland2.9 miLake Ripley2.5 miCambridge1.7 miSumner1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 4% | 0.1 | 25 | 56% | B− |
| Cambridge | under 1% | 1.2 | 73 | 99%+ | A− |
| Lake Ripley | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sumner | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Christiana | 2% | 0.4 | 514 | 11% | B− |
| Lake Mills | 18% | 0.3 | 705 | 71% | A |
| Jefferson | 13% | 0.2 | 866 | 30% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oakland
Where can I hike in Oakland?
The longest trail networks: Lake Ripley Management District Preserve, 2 miles; Cambridge Wildlife and Fishing Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oakland is conserved land?
4% 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 Oakland’s trails?
Lake Ripley Management District Preserve and Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Oakland?
9,889 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oakland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 82 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oakland have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #282 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 Oakland 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 →