ORA Community Trail Farm
Managed by OUTDOOR RECREATION ALLIANCE INC
275 acres8.8 mi of trail
ORANGEPURPLE EASTblueCommunity Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Oehler Mill Complex · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Shelby
Shelby has 1,240 acres of parks, 263 for every 1,000 residents
14% of Shelby’s land is conserved, about 2,230 acres. The biggest trail networks: ORA Community Trail Farm (8.8 mi), Goose Island County Park (3.1 mi), Town of Shelby (2.5 mi). 19 miles of mapped trail cross Shelby, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #45 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,230 acres · of 24.8 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,240 ac
263 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.7 mi
2.2 mi lanes · 0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,014 ft
Hedgehog Bluff
What kind of outdoors town is Shelby?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shelby have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shelby is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #45 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shelby’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land263 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,240 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 88%
Water is 13% of Shelby’s area (4 of 29 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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.
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 ORA Community Trail Farm, with 8.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Goose Island County Park
Managed by La Crosse County
383 acres3.1 mi of trail
SwampSwamp LoopGanderPowerline+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Town of Shelby
Park
86 acres2.5 mi of trail
Butterfly trailButterfly TrailWar PigsHedge Hog+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
2,270 acres0.3 mi of trail
Shady Maple Interpretive TrailSouth Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
La Crosse Blufflands - Juniper Property
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Crown
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
ORA Community Trail Farm275 acres · 8.8 mi of trail · OUTDOOR RECREATION ALLIANCE INC
DirectionsGoose Island County Park383 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · La Crosse County
DirectionsTown of Shelby86 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge2,270 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsLa Crosse Blufflands - Juniper Property7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGrandad Bluff Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Mormon Coulee Park24 acres
Mississippi Valley Conservancy17 acres
La Crosse County12 acres
Paul E. Stry Nature Preserve7 acres
DirectionsChad Erickson Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,230 conserved acres
14% of Shelby’s land. Water is left out: Shelby has 24.8 square miles of land and 3.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Shelby’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,716 ac
County765 ac
Town or city65 ac
State natural resources38 ac
Private owners16 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,716 acLocal Park · 828 acState Recreation Area · 31 acRecreation or Education Easement · 23 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,716 | Restricted |
| Goose Island Park Local Park | County | 765 | Open |
| Hixon Forest Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Mormon Coulee Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Pammel Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery Area State Recreation Area | Private owners | 16 | Open |
| Scattered Wildlife - Wd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 15 | Open |
| Wedgewood Terrace Tennis Court & Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Old Vineyard Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| River Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
22 places to go in Shelby
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Shelby
Goose Island County Park PlaygroundIn Goose Island County Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Shelby
Goose Island County Park Boat Launch
DirectionsGoose Island County Park Boat LaunchIn Goose Island County Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Shelby
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Shelby
Cliffwood
DirectionsHedgehog
DirectionsSouth ViewIn La Crosse County
DirectionsThe Thrown
DirectionsVIEWPOINTIn ORA Community Trail Farm
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Shelby
Hedgehog Bluff1,014 ft elevation · In Town of Shelby
DirectionsCliffwood Bluff915 ft elevation · In Mississippi Valley Conservancy
DirectionsCampgrounds in Shelby
Goose Island CampgroundFee · In Goose Island County Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.0 miUnpaved · 15.5 mi
ORANGE2.5 mi
PURPLE EAST1.4 mi
blue1.1 mi
Community Trail1.0 mi
Swamp1.0 mi
PURPLE WEST0.8 mi
Iron Man0.6 mi
Swamp Loop0.6 mi
ORANGE center0.5 mi
Gander0.5 mi
15 more trails
ORANGE WEST
0.5 miButterfly trail
0.4 miButterfly Trail
0.4 miForest Access Trail
0.4 miPowerline
0.3 miORANGE EAST
0.3 miWar Pigs
0.2 miBandit
0.2 miHedge Hog
0.2 miShady Maple Interpretive Trail
0.2 miYELLOW
0.2 miAlpine Relief
0.1 mieagle point
0.1 miYoshi's Yo
0.1 miSouth Loop
0.1 miBiking & sports
2.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Shelby
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 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 31 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 44 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shelby →
Next door
Shelby and its neighbors
Shelby has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
La Crosse50 miShelby19 miMedary4.3 miHokah Township4.1 miBergen3.0 miGreenfield1.2 miBrownsville Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 14% | 0.7 | 263 | 74% | A |
| La Crosse | 12% | 2.3 | 48 | 99% | A+ |
| Bergen | 29% | 0.1 | 64 | 15% | B |
| Greenfield | under 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 7% | D |
| Medary | 2% | 0.4 | 102 | 68% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shelby
Where can I hike in Shelby?
The longest trail networks: ORA Community Trail Farm, 8.8 miles; Goose Island County Park, 3.1 miles; Town of Shelby, 2.5 miles; Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shelby is conserved land?
14% 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 Shelby’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Town of Shelby (on leash) and La Crosse Blufflands - Juniper Property (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shelby?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes and 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Shelby?
13,447 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shelby or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,240 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shelby have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Shelby 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 →