Wert Family Preserve
Nature preserve
459 acres4.6 mi of trail
Trail of Myths foot pathTrail of Myths long loopIce Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cushing Land Agency Building · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in St. Croix Falls
11% of St. Croix Falls’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 14 miles of mapped trail cross St. Croix Falls, 2.7 per square mile of land. 614 acres are parks and preserves, 253 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
353 acres · of 5.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
614 ac
253 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.1 mi
9.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is St. Croix Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild11% of the land is conserved; a typical Wisconsin town, 4%.A trail town2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 96% of U.S. towns.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Croix Falls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Croix Falls is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of St. Croix Falls’ overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land253 acres of park per 1,000 residents (614 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Wert Family Preserve, with 4.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Interstate Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
208 acres3 mi of trail
Horizon Rock TrailSummit Rock TrailPothole TrailMeadow Valley Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Summit Peak ParkingWebsite ↗
Riegal Park
Managed by City of Saint Croix Falls
85 acres0.7 mi of trail
Ice Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ray Zillmer Park
Nature preserve
23 acres0.4 mi of trail
Ice Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Park Rosemarie
Managed by City of Saint Croix Falls
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Wert Family Preserve459 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsInterstate Park208 acres · 3 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRiegal Park85 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Saint Croix Falls
DirectionsRay Zillmer Park23 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPark Rosemarie5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Saint Croix Falls
DirectionsLions Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPolk County Fairgrounds70 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSaint Croix National Scenic Riverway4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsWoolly Bike Club10 acres
Jerusalem Park6 acres
DirectionsMichael Severson Memorial Overlook Park2 acres
DirectionsGaylord Nelson Park1 acres · City of Saint Croix Falls
DirectionsWhite Pine Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
353 conserved acres
11% of St. Croix Falls’ land. Who manages St. Croix Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources272 ac
Private owners77 ac
Town or city14 ac
National Park Service6 ac
State Park · 248 acPrivate Park · 65 acState Recreation Area · 18 acLocal Conservation Area · 14 acPrivate Conservation · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate Park-Iansr State Park | State natural resources | 191 | Open |
| St. Croix Valley Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 65 | Open |
| Ice Age Trail - Nw State Park | State natural resources | 50 | Open |
| St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Ice Age Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 14 | Open |
| Gandy Dancer State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 6 | Open |
| Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 6 | Open |
| St Croix Falls Hatchery State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in St. Croix Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in St. Croix Falls
Lake O' the Dalles BeachIn Interstate Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in St. Croix Falls
Lions Park PlaygroundIn Lions Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in St. Croix Falls
St. Croix Falls Dog ParkIn Park Rosemarie
DirectionsBoat launches in St. Croix Falls
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in St. Croix Falls
Summit RockIn Interstate Park
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in St. Croix Falls
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in St. Croix Falls
Interstate State Park WI - North CampgroundFee · In Interstate Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in St. Croix Falls
St. Croix Falls Community GardenIn Park Rosemarie
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.0 mi
Ice Age Trail4.6 mi
Trail of Myths foot path1.9 mi
Trail of Myths long loop1.6 mi
Horizon Rock Trail0.5 mi
Red Fox Trail0.5 mi
Summit Rock Trail0.4 mi
Pothole Trail0.4 mi
Meadow Valley Trail0.3 mi
Skyline Nature Trail0.2 mi
Ravine Trail0.2 mi
3 more trails
Skyline Trail
0.2 miEcho Canyon Trail
0.1 miLake of the Dalles Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
3Soccer
2Basketball
1Tennis
1Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 St. Croix Falls
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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in St. Croix Falls →
Next door
St. Croix Falls and its neighbors
St. Croix Falls has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix Falls | 11% | 2.7 | 253 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Croix Falls
Where can I hike in St. Croix Falls?
The longest trail networks: Wert Family Preserve, 4.6 miles; Interstate Park, 3 miles; Riegal Park, 0.7 miles; Ray Zillmer Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Croix Falls 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 St. Croix Falls’ trails?
Wert Family Preserve and Interstate Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Croix Falls?
9.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near St. Croix Falls?
10,452 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Croix Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 618 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does St. Croix Falls have?
Among the top 1% 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 St. Croix Falls 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 →