Polk Kames
Managed by WI DNR
449 acres2.9 mi of trail
Ice Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Polk
Polk has 788 acres of parks, 199 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Polk Kames (2.9 mi). 34% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.7 miles of mapped trail cross Polk, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #272 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
615 acres · of 30.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
788 ac
199 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.1 mi
0.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Polk?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Polk have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Polk is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #272 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Polk’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land199 acres of park per 1,000 residents (788 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 50%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 25%
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 Polk Kames, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Polk Park
Park
35 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Polk Kames449 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · WI DNR
DirectionsHeritage Trails County Park253 acres
DirectionsAckerman's Grove County Park65 acres
DirectionsPolk Park35 acres
Fox Hill Nature Preserve14 acres
Breuer Park2 acres
Who protects it
615 conserved acres
3% of Polk’s land. Who manages Polk’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources444 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits124 ac
County63 ac
State Recreation Area · 428 acUnknown Easement · 124 acLocal Park · 63 acState Conservation Area · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 124 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Age Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 412 | Open |
| Ackerman'S Grove County Park Local Park | County | 63 | Open |
| Cedar Creek Streambank Protection Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 16 | Open |
| Stream Bank Protection Fee Program State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 16 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Polk
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Polk
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Polk
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Polk
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Polk
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Ice Age Trail1.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Soccer
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Polk
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Polk →
Next door
Polk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | 3% | 0.1 | 199 | 34% | B− |
| Slinger | 1% | 0.6 | 16 | 77% | B− |
| Jackson | 3% | under 0.1 | 12 | 98% | C+ |
| Richfield | 1% | 0.1 | 28 | 32% | C+ |
| West Bend | 2% | 1.2 | 94 | 69% | B+ |
| Hartford | 4% | 0.4 | 11 | 26% | C+ |
| Jackson | 13% | 0.1 | 656 | 25% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Polk
Where can I hike in Polk?
The longest trail networks: Polk Kames, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Polk is conserved land?
3% 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 Polk’s trails?
Polk Kames and Heritage Trails County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Polk?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Polk?
16,113 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Polk or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 789 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Polk have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #272 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 Polk 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 →