Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,182 acres5.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rutland United Brethren in Christ Meeting House and Cemetery · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rutland
Rutland has 1,842 acres of parks, 1,104 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Rutland’s land is conserved, about 2,933 acres. The biggest trail networks: Badfish Creek Wildlife Area (5.2 mi), Brooklyn State Wildlife Area (2.6 mi). 39% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,933 acres · of 34.4 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,842 ac
1,104 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Rutland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rutland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rutland is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rutland’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,104 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,842 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home39% 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 75%
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 Badfish Creek Wildlife Area, with 5.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brooklyn State Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
647 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
2,933 conserved acres
13% of Rutland’s land. Who manages Rutland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,459 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,890 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits183 ac
Resource Management Area · 1,857 acState Recreation Area · 1,831 acState Conservation Area · 628 acConservation Easement · 217 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 171 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,857 | Restricted |
| Bad Fish Creek Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,149 | Open |
| Anthony Branch Streambank Protection Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 681 | Open |
| Stream Bank Protection Fee Program State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 628 | Open |
| Rem-Anthony Branch State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1 | Restricted |
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Pond, Daniel, FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itLockwood BarnBuilding · listed 1982
About itSereno W. Graves HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itHunt,Samuel, HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itFrancis Marian Ames FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1992
About itRutland United Brethren in Christ Meeting House and CemeteryBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Rutland
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) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rutland →
Next door
Rutland and its neighbors
Rutland has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutland | 13% | 0.3 | 1,104 | 39% | A− |
| Stoughton | 6% | 1.0 | 31 | 99%+ | A |
| Brooklyn | 3% | 0.1 | 20 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Dunn | 33% | 0.1 | 371 | 84% | A |
| Oregon | 6% | 1.1 | 30 | 98% | A |
| Union | 5% | 0.1 | 187 | 32% | B− |
| Oregon | 12% | 0.3 | 691 | 59% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rutland
Where can I hike in Rutland?
The longest trail networks: Badfish Creek Wildlife Area, 5.2 miles; Brooklyn State Wildlife Area, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rutland is conserved land?
13% 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 Rutland’s trails?
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area and Brooklyn State Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rutland?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rutland?
18,749 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rutland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,842 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rutland have?
Ahead of 75% 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 Rutland 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 →