Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area
Managed by Dane County Parks
199 acres1.6 mi of trail
Ice Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wisconsin Heights Battlefield · Photo: Samuel Marsden Brookes · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Roxbury
Roxbury has 621 acres of parks, 343 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area (1.6 mi), Phil's Woods Natural Resource Area (0.8 mi), Lower Wisconsin State Riverway (Black Hawk Unit) (0.7 mi). 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Roxbury’s land is conserved, about 1,250 acres.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,250 acres · of 34.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
621 ac
343 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 2.5 mi paths
Highest peak
1,135 ft
Sugarloaf Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Roxbury?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Roxbury have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Roxbury is ahead of 58% 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 Roxbury’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land343 acres of park per 1,000 residents (621 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% 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 58%
LessMore
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 Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Phil's Woods Natural Resource Area
Managed by Dane County Parks
37 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway (Black Hawk Unit)
Nature preserve
41 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lussier County Park
Managed by Dane County
127 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area199 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Dane County Parks
DirectionsPhil's Woods Natural Resource Area37 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Dane County Parks
DirectionsLower Wisconsin State Riverway (Black Hawk Unit)41 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Lussier County Park127 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Dane County
Mud Lake Wildlife Area188 acres · Dane County
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway42 acres · Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board
Fish Lake County Park2 acres
Who protects it
1,250 conserved acres
6% of Roxbury’s land. Who manages Roxbury’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,386 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)323 ac
Private owners138 ac
State natural resources75 ac
Local Recreation Area · 501 acConservation Easement · 428 acAgricultural Easement · 323 acLocal Resource Management Area · 234 acLocal Park · 222 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 440 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Lake Local Recreation Area | County | 384 | Closed |
| Lussier County Park Local Park | County | 219 | Open |
| Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area Local Resource Management Area | County | 198 | Open |
| Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Private Conservation | Private owners | 138 | Closed |
| Ice Age Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 117 | Open |
| Statewide Public Access State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 37 | Open |
| Statewide Public Access - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 37 | Open |
| Phil's Woods Natural Resource Area Local Resource Management Area | County | 36 | Open |
| Fish Lake County Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Roxbury
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Roxbury
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Roxbury
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Roxbury
Sugarloaf Hill1,135 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Top Hill935 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Roxbury
Snuffy's Family Campground
DirectionsSpringfield Hill DCAIn Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.9 mi
Ice Age Trail1.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places 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.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Roxbury
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 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Roxbury →
Next door
Roxbury and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mazomanie26 miBerry26 miSpringfield8.8 miWest Point8.6 miRoxbury7.4 miDane5.2 miPrairie du Sac1.0 miSauk City0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxbury | 6% | 0.2 | 343 | 21% | B |
| Dane | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Berry | 4% | 0.7 | 245 | 25% | B+ |
| West Point | 3% | 0.3 | 150 | 19% | B− |
| Prairie du Sac | 3% | 0.5 | 34 | 99%+ | A− |
| Sauk City | 1% | 0.2 | 22 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Mazomanie | 7% | 0.9 | 1,401 | 26% | A− |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.2 | 297 | 32% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Roxbury
Where can I hike in Roxbury?
The longest trail networks: Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area, 1.6 miles; Phil's Woods Natural Resource Area, 0.8 miles; Lower Wisconsin State Riverway (Black Hawk Unit), 0.7 miles; Lussier County Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Roxbury is conserved land?
6% 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 Roxbury’s trails?
Springfield Hill Natural Resource Area and Phil's Woods Natural Resource Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Roxbury?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 2.5 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Roxbury?
28,252 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Roxbury or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 621 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Roxbury have?
Ahead of 58% 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 Roxbury 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 →