Donald County Park
Managed by Dane County
861 acres12.7 mi of trail
John Hitchcock TrailNorth Access TrailDonald Rock TrailHitchcock Ridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Springdale
Springdale has 493 acres of parks, 226 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Donald County Park (12.7 mi). 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Springdale, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
689 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
493 ac
226 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.8 mi
2.2 mi lanes · 6.6 mi paths
Highest peak
984 ft
Donald Rock
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Springdale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Springdale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Springdale is ahead of 61% 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 Springdale’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land226 acres of park per 1,000 residents (493 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home35% 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 61%
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 Donald County Park, with 12.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
689 conserved acres
3% of Springdale’s land. Who manages Springdale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County766 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)113 ac
State natural resources105 ac
Local Park · 452 acConservation Easement · 260 acAgricultural Easement · 113 acState Recreation Area · 71 acOther Easement · 61 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 153 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Park Local Park | County | 219 | Closed |
| Donald Park - Vernon Valley Farms 2007 Local Park | County | 85 | Open |
| Donald Park - Vernon Valley Farms 2000 Local Park | County | 85 | Open |
| Mount Vernon Creek Fishery Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 71 | Open |
| Donald Park - Vernon Valley Farms 1998 Local Park | County | 35 | Open |
| Donald Park - Vernon Valley Farms 2003 Local Park | County | 28 | Open |
| Stream Bank Protection Fee Program State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 14 | Open |
| Military Ridge State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 14 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Springdale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Springdale
Farmstead Vista KnollIn Donald County Park
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Springdale
Donald Rock984 ft elevation · In Donald County Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Springdale
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 8.4 mi
John Hitchcock Trail0.9 mi
North Access Trail0.7 mi
Donald Rock Trail0.5 mi
Hitchcock Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Springs Trail0.4 mi
Woodland Trail0.4 mi
Sweet Farm Trail0.3 mi
Larson Pond Trail0.2 mi
Prairie Vista Trail0.2 mi
Mt Vernon Overlook Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Prairie Edge Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.8 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
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Springdale
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 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Springdale →
Next door
Springdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springdale | 3% | 0.4 | 226 | 35% | B |
| Mount Horeb | 9% | 1.7 | 30 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Verona | 5% | 1.0 | 190 | 63% | A− |
| Primrose | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Blue Mounds | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cross Plains | 7% | 0.5 | 542 | 31% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Springdale
Where can I hike in Springdale?
The longest trail networks: Donald County Park, 12.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Springdale 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 Springdale’s trails?
Donald County Park and Forest of Fame Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Springdale?
8.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes and 6.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Springdale?
16,142 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Springdale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 493 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Springdale have?
Ahead of 61% 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 Springdale 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 →