Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2,326 acres30.5 mi of trail
Central TrailsSouthern TrailsNorthern Trails
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Sumpter
Sumpter has 9,102 acres of parks, 7,827 for every 1,000 residents
38% of Sumpter’s land is conserved, about 9,251 acres. 37 miles of mapped trail cross Sumpter, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area (30.5 mi), Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area (3.3 mi), South Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area (1.4 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
9,251 acres · of 37.6 sq mi of land
Trails
37 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
9,102 ac
7,827 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
5.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,460 ft
Sauk Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Sumpter?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sumpter have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sumpter is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sumpter’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (37 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land7,827 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9,102 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home71% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area, with 30.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area
Nature preserve
3,745 acres3.3 mi of trail
Baxter's Hollow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Baxter's Hollow ParkingWebsite ↗
South Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2,296 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Devil's Lake State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,788 acres0.2 mi of trail
South Shore Boardwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area2,326 acres · 30.5 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBaxter's Hollow State Natural Area3,745 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area2,296 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDevil's Lake State Park1,788 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDr. Evermor's Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
9,251 conserved acres
38% of Sumpter’s land. Who manages Sumpter’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources6,844 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4,098 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)123 ac
Private owners37 ac
State Park · 5,100 acPrivate Conservation · 4,098 acState Other or Unknown · 1,458 acConservation Easement · 245 acAgricultural Easement · 123 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 131 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter'S Hollow Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4,018 | Open |
| Devils Lake State Park-Iansr State Park | State natural resources | 2,618 | Open |
| Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area State Park | State natural resources | 2,374 | Open |
| Sauk Prairie Recreation Area 1 State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 1,083 | Open |
| Sauk Prairie Recreation Area 2 State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 374 | Open |
| Baraboo Hills Recreation Area State Park | State natural resources | 185 | Open |
| Baraboo Hills Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Closed |
Things to do
5 places to go in Sumpter
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sumpter
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Sumpter
South shore picnic and dog areaIn Devil's Lake State Park
DirectionsScenic views in Sumpter
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Sumpter
Sauk Hill1,460 ft elevation · In South Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area
DirectionsSoutheast Bluff400 ft elevation · In South Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.5 miHorses · 6.5 miUnpaved · 5.4 mi
Central Trails2.5 mi
Southern Trails2.5 mi
Northern Trails2.3 mi
Baxter's Hollow Trail1.8 mi
South Shore Boardwalk0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.2 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Sumpter
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sumpter →
Next door
Sumpter and its neighbors
Sumpter has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumpter | 38% | 1.0 | 7,827 | 71% | A+ |
| Merrimac | 32% | 1.5 | 3,893 | 45% | A |
| Baraboo | 20% | 0.3 | 2,249 | 49% | A− |
| Prairie du Sac | 5% | 0.3 | 39 | 15% | B− |
| Honey Creek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Freedom | — 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 Sumpter
Where can I hike in Sumpter?
The longest trail networks: Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area, 30.5 miles; Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area, 3.3 miles; South Bluff/Devil's Nose State Natural Area, 1.4 miles; Devil's Lake State Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sumpter is conserved land?
38% 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 Sumpter’s trails?
Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area and Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sumpter?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.2 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Sumpter?
29,823 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sumpter or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,102 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sumpter have?
Ahead of 96% 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 Sumpter 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 →