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Oconto, WIPhoto: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Oconto

11% of Oconto’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park

Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 680 acres are parks and preserves, 147 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Oconto’s land is conserved, about 480 acres.

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #20 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

Conserved land
11%
480 acres · of 6.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.1 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
680 ac
147 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
4 boat launches

What kind of outdoors town is Oconto?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Land that stays wild11% of the land is conserved; a typical Wisconsin town, 4%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.Room to roam147 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way13 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Oconto have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oconto is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #20 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oconto’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land147 acres of park per 1,000 residents (680 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 95%
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.

1234
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 Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit

Nature preserve
278 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Oconto Sportsmens Club

Nature preserve
516 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Oconto Preserve

Nature preserve
157 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Oconto High School Parking Lot

Copper Culture State Park

Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
75 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit278 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
Directions
Oconto Sportsmens Club516 acres
Directions
Oconto Preserve157 acres
Directions
Copper Culture State Park75 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Holtwood Park68 acres
Directions
Oconto City Park21 acres
Ner-Park2 acres
Directions
Who protects it

480 conserved acres

11% of Oconto’s land. Who manages Oconto’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

State natural resources365 ac
Private owners78 ac
Town or city59 ac
Bureau of Land Management5 ac
State Recreation Area · 287 acPrivate Park · 70 acState Park · 66 acLocal Park · 56 acPrivate Conservation · 8 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area
State Recreation Area
State natural resources276Open
Oconto Golf Club
Private Park
Private owners70Open
Copper Culture Mounds State Park
State Park
State natural resources66Open
Holtwood Sporting Complex & Park
Local Park
Town or city37Open
Statewide Public Access
State Recreation Area
State natural resources19Open
City Park
Local Park
Town or city10Open
Sharp Park
Local Park
Town or city6Open
Northeastern States District Office
National Public Lands
Bureau of Land Management5Open
City Docks
Local Recreation Area
Town or city3Open
Bond Park
Local Park
Town or city3Open
Things to do

7 places to go in Oconto

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Campgrounds in Oconto
Holtwood CampgroundHours: May-Sep "May 1 through Labor Day" · In Holtwood Park
Directions
Oconto City Park CampgroundIn Oconto City Park
Directions
Trails & water

1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Unpaved · 4.0 mi
Oconto River State Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Oconto River
Biking & sports

3.5 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
1Football

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

13 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
★
Oconto SiteNational Historic Landmark · Site · listed 1966
About it
Gov. Edward Scofield HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About it
First Church of Christ, ScientistBuilding · listed 1974
About it
Holt-Balcom Lumber Company OfficeBuilding · listed 1976
About it
Huff Jones HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About it
West Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About it
Beyer Home MuseumBuilding · listed 1979
About it
John G. Campbell HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About it
Oconto Main Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1980
About it
St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchesBuilding · listed 1980
About it
Oconto County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1982
About it
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Guild Hall and VicarageBuilding · listed 1985
About it

1 more on the History page.

When to get out

The best walking months in Oconto: May, August 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.110.411.813.414.815.615.314.112.510.99.58.8
High (°F)262939506373787769564331
Rain (in)1.51.21.83.03.34.03.83.33.53.12.11.8

February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Oconto →

Next door

Oconto and its neighbors

Oconto has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Oconto4.1 miLittle River1.7 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Oconto11%0.614799%+A+
Little River11%under 0.13,29018%B−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Oconto

Where can I hike in Oconto?

The longest trail networks: Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Oconto is conserved land?

11% 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 Oconto’s trails?

Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit and Oconto Sportsmens Club don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Oconto?

3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of off-road paths.

Is there public land near Oconto?

17,874 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oconto or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 684 of them inside the city line.

How much outdoors does Oconto have?

Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 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 Oconto neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →