St. Croix Islands Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
940 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Somerset
Somerset has 1,128 acres of parks, 256 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Somerset’s land is conserved, about 3,399 acres. 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Somerset.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #278 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,399 acres · of 46.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,128 ac
256 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Somerset?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Somerset have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Somerset is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #278 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 Somerset’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land256 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,128 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home10% 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 49%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 23%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Managed by National Park Service
771 acres
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bass Lake Waterfowl Production Area
Nature preserve
229 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
St. Croix County Waterfowl Production Area
Nature preserve
188 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
St. Croix Islands Wildlife Area940 acres
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway771 acres · National Park Service
DirectionsBass Lake Waterfowl Production Area229 acres
St. Croix County Waterfowl Production Area188 acres
Prairie Flats South Waterfowl Production Area174 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Somerset Waterfowl Production Area64 acres
Bass Lake Boat Landing3 acres
La Grandeur Natural Area2 acres · Village of Somerset
Who protects it
3,399 conserved acres
11% of Somerset’s land. Who manages Somerset’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,355 ac
State natural resources1,246 ac
National Park Service1,199 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land364 ac
Private owners271 ac
County128 ac
Resource Management Area · 1,355 acState Recreation Area · 1,240 acWild and Scenic River · 846 acConservation Easement · 718 acPrivate Park · 263 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 367 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,355 | Restricted |
| St Croix Islands Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,233 | Open |
| Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 846 | Open |
| St. Croix National Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 263 | Open |
| Natural Area State Conservation Area | County | 128 | Restricted |
| Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Private Conservation | Private owners | 7 | Open |
| Statewide Public Access State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
| Bass Lake State Public Access - St Croix State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
| Amphitheater Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 1 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Somerset
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Somerset
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The walking year in Somerset
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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 29 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Somerset →
Next door
Somerset and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stillwater Township13 miSt. Joseph11 miMarine on St. Croix11 miFarmington6.7 miMay Township0.9 miSomerset0.8 miStar Prairie0.0 miHoulton0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset | 11% | under 0.1 | 256 | 10% | B− |
| St. Joseph | 9% | 0.3 | 482 | 43% | B+ |
| Star Prairie | 4% | under 0.1 | 22 | 7% | C |
| Farmington | 9% | 0.2 | 31 | 4% | B− |
| Houlton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Somerset
How much of Somerset is conserved land?
11% 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 Somerset’s trails?
St. Croix Islands Wildlife Area and Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Somerset?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Somerset?
19,962 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Somerset or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,980 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Somerset have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #278 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 Somerset 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 →