Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Nature preserve
325 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Springfield
Springfield has 850 acres of parks, 297 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Pheasant Branch Conservancy (4 mi). 6% of Springfield’s land is conserved, about 1,283 acres. 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #227 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,283 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
8.8 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
850 ac
297 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.7 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 8.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,040 ft
Frederick's Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Springfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Springfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Springfield is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #227 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 Springfield’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 (9 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land297 acres of park per 1,000 residents (850 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to home32% 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 62%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 37%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Pheasant Branch Conservancy, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waunakee Marsh Wildlife Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
505 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,283 conserved acres
6% of Springfield’s land. Who manages Springfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources609 ac
County588 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)398 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Recreation Area · 538 acAgricultural Easement · 398 acConservation Easement · 282 acLocal Resource Management Area · 257 acState Conservation Area · 79 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 435 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waunakee Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 483 | Open |
| Pheasant Branch Conservancy Natural Resource Area Local Resource Management Area | County | 257 | Open |
| Statewide Habitat Areas State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 57 | Restricted |
| Statewide Habitat Areas - Sd State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 57 | Open |
| Hwy 12/N Mendota - Ballweg Local Conservation Area | County | 40 | Unknown |
| Natural Area State Conservation Area | County | 11 | Restricted |
| Empire Prairies (Westport Drumlin) State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 11 | Restricted |
Things to do
3 places to go in Springfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Springfield
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Springfield
Frederick's Hill1,040 ft elevation · In Pheasant Branch Conservancy
DirectionsCampgrounds in Springfield
Camp BrandenburgGirl Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council
DirectionsTrails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.7 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
8.2 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
3Baseball
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. Peter's Roman Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Springfield
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 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Springfield →
Next door
Springfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | 6% | 0.2 | 297 | 32% | B |
| Middleton | 16% | 1.9 | 53 | 94% | A+ |
| Berry | 4% | 0.7 | 245 | 25% | B+ |
| Middleton | 6% | 1.7 | 87 | 96% | A |
| Dane | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Westport | 15% | 1.4 | 413 | 95% | A+ |
| Roxbury | 6% | 0.2 | 343 | 21% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Springfield
Where can I hike in Springfield?
The longest trail networks: Pheasant Branch Conservancy, 4 miles; Waunakee Marsh Wildlife Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Springfield 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 Springfield’s trails?
Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Waunakee Marsh Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Springfield?
8.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 8.2 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Springfield?
20,255 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Springfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 850 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Springfield have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #227 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 Springfield 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 →