Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,794 acres23.6 mi of trail
Moraine Ridge TrailConnector TrailIce Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Palmyra
Palmyra has 127 acres of parks, 111 for every 1,000 residents
42 miles of mapped trail cross Palmyra, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit (23.6 mi), Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area (8.8 mi), Carlin Weld Park (2.4 mi). 13% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,065 acres · of 33.6 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
127 ac
111 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
13%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
Highest peak
1,040 ft
Bald Bluff
Lakes & rivers
4
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Palmyra?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palmyra have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palmyra is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Palmyra’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land111 acres of park per 1,000 residents (127 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home13% 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 70%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit, with 23.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
875 acres8.8 mi of trail
Connector TrailIce Age TrailMoraine Ridge TrailBald Bluff Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Carlin Weld Park
Managed by Jefferson County
79 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Prince's Point Wildlife Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
601 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit1,794 acres · 23.6 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsKettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area875 acres · 8.8 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCarlin Weld Park79 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Jefferson County
DirectionsPrince's Point Wildlife Area601 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsYoung Prairie State Natural Area540 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Eagle Oak Opening State Natural Area9 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,065 conserved acres
5% of Palmyra’s land. Who manages Palmyra’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)756 ac
State natural resources672 ac
County61 ac
Private owners4 ac
Conservation Easement · 712 acState Recreation Area · 476 acAgricultural Easement · 241 acLocal Park · 61 acPrivate Conservation · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 524 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princes Point Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 480 | Open |
| Carlin Weld Park Local Park | County | 61 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Palmyra
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Palmyra
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Palmyra
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Palmyra
Bald Bluff Scenic OverlookIn Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area
DirectionsPeaks in Palmyra
Bald Bluff1,040 ft elevation · In Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Palmyra
Horseriders' CampgroundWisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDisc golf in Palmyra
Carlin Weld Disc Golf CourseIn Carlin Weld Park · Jefferson County
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 25.5 miHorses · 13.2 miUnpaved · 37.2 mi
Connector Trail7.1 mi
Ice Age Trail7.0 mi
Moraine Ridge Trail7.0 mi
Bald Bluff Nature Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Connector TrailBike route
7.1 miGreen LoopBike route
6.5 miOrange LoopBike route
5 miBrown LoopBike route
3 miHistory along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Knapp-Calkins FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Palmyra
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) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Palmyra →
Next door
Palmyra 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra | 5% | 1.3 | 111 | 13% | B+ |
| Eagle | 5% | 1.3 | 182 | 38% | A− |
| Sullivan | 14% | 0.1 | 1,156 | 42% | B+ |
| La Grange | under 1% | 1.9 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Cold Spring | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hebron | 12% | under 0.1 | 804 | 11% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palmyra
Where can I hike in Palmyra?
The longest trail networks: Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit, 23.6 miles; Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area, 8.8 miles; Carlin Weld Park, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palmyra is conserved land?
5% 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 Palmyra’s trails?
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit and Kettle Moraine Oak Opening State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palmyra?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Connector Trail, Green Loop and Orange Loop.
Is there public land near Palmyra?
33,269 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palmyra or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,819 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palmyra have?
Ahead of 70% 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 Palmyra 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 →