Willow River State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,769 acres9.8 mi of trail
Nelson Farm TrailBurkhardt TrailNorthern TraverseMound Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Nelson Farm Parking LotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in St. Joseph
St. Joseph has 2,067 acres of parks, 482 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Willow River State Park (9.8 mi), Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake (0.8 mi). 9% of St. Joseph’s land is conserved, about 1,915 acres. 43% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #149 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,915 acres · of 32.1 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,067 ac
482 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
23 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is St. Joseph?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Joseph have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Joseph is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #149 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 St. Joseph’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land482 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,067 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home43% 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 73%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 59%
Water is 7% of St. Joseph’s area (2 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Willow River State Park, with 9.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake
Park
84 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Willow River Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
120 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Eckert-Richards Blufflands
Managed by Saint Croix County
118 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Willow River State Park1,769 acres · 9.8 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHomestead Parklands on Perch Lake84 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWillow River Wildlife Area120 acres
Eckert-Richards Blufflands118 acres · Saint Croix County
Kolliner Park65 acres
DirectionsWestern Prairie Habitat Restoration4 acres
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway2 acres · National Park Service
Who protects it
1,915 conserved acres
9% of St. Joseph’s land. Water is left out: St. Joseph has 32.1 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages St. Joseph’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,690 ac
Private owners229 ac
National Park Service2 ac
State Park · 1,566 acPrivate Park · 219 acState Recreation Area · 128 acState Other or Unknown · 7 acWild and Scenic River · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow River State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,566 | Open |
| White Eagle Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 219 | Open |
| Willow River State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 120 | Open |
| Simon Prairie State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
| Western Prairie Habitat Restoration State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 7 | Closed |
| Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 2 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in St. Joseph
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in St. Joseph
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in St. Joseph
Willow FallsIn Willow River State Park
DirectionsScenic views in St. Joseph
5 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in St. Joseph
Mount HellenIn Willow River State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.8 miUnpaved · 8.7 mi
Nelson Farm Trail2.8 mi
Burkhardt Trail2.1 mi
Northern Traverse1.5 mi
Mound Trail1.3 mi
Willow Falls Trail1.0 mi
Southern Traverse0.3 mi
Pioneer Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
23 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Basketball
1Baseball
1Softball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in St. Joseph
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 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in St. Joseph →
Next door
St. Joseph and its neighbors
St. Joseph has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Joseph11 miHudson8.9 miStillwater6.0 miOak Park Heights4.9 miBayport1.2 miSomerset0.8 miRichmond0.8 miHoulton0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | 9% | 0.3 | 482 | 43% | B+ |
| Houlton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Somerset | 11% | under 0.1 | 256 | 10% | B− |
| Richmond | 6% | under 0.1 | 4 | 23% | C− |
| Hudson | 10% | 0.4 | 160 | 46% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Joseph
Where can I hike in St. Joseph?
The longest trail networks: Willow River State Park, 9.8 miles; Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Joseph is conserved land?
9% 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. Joseph’s trails?
Willow River State Park and Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Joseph?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 23 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near St. Joseph?
18,721 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Joseph or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,069 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. Joseph have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #149 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 St. Joseph 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 →