Pattison State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1,565 acres7.6 mi of trail
River View TrailBeaver TrailOverlook TrailOak Ridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nfarmakes · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Superior
Superior has 19,274 acres of parks, 9,148 for every 1,000 residents
29% of Superior’s land is conserved, about 19,727 acres. The biggest trail networks: Pattison State Park (7.6 mi), St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area (0.8 mi). 64% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
19,727 acres · of 106.1 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
19,274 ac
9,148 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
64%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
8
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Superior?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Superior have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Superior is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Superior’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9,148 acres of park per 1,000 residents (19,274 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home64% 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 86%
LessMore
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 Pattison State Park, with 7.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area
Nature preserve
6,459 acres0.8 mi of trail
North Country National Scenic Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pokegama Carnegie Wetlands State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
308 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Pattison State Park1,565 acres · 7.6 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSt. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area6,459 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Douglas County Forest5,619 acres
DirectionsPokegama Carnegie Wetlands State Natural Area308 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Superior Municipal Forest1 acres · City of Superior
Who protects it
19,727 conserved acres
29% of Superior’s land. Who manages Superior’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County10,602 ac
State natural resources9,303 ac
Private owners181 ac
Bureau of Land Management1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 10,368 acState Recreation Area · 6,283 acState Park · 2,558 acState Conservation Area · 549 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 121 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 46 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 10,368 | Open |
| St Louis River Streambank Protection Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 6,283 | Open |
| Pattison State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,524 | Open |
| Clear Creek State North Country Trail Area State Park | State natural resources | 339 | Open |
| Pokegama Carnegie Wetlands State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 315 | Restricted |
| Natural Area State Conservation Area | County | 234 | Restricted |
| Gandy Dancer State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 185 | Open |
| Black River State North Country Trail Area State Park | State natural resources | 172 | Open |
| Saunders State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 160 | Open |
| Nemadji River State North Country Trail Area State Park | State natural resources | 97 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Superior
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Superior
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Superior
Big Timber Playground
DirectionsDog parks in Superior
Bark Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Superior
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Superior
Big Manitou FallsIn Pattison State Park
DirectionsLittle Manitou FallsIn Pattison State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Superior
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Superior
Pattison Backpack Camp AreaFee · In Pattison State Park
DirectionsPattison Family CampgroundIn Pattison State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.9 miUnpaved · 5.7 mi
Soo Line Trail - Southern Route10.9 mi
North Country Trail4.3 mi
Abandoned Railroad2.8 mi
River View Trail1.9 mi
Snow Mobile Trail1.8 mi
Beaver Trail1.7 mi
North Country National Scenic Trail1.4 mi
Overlook Trail1.1 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.9 mi
Little Manitou Falls Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Superior
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) | 9.0 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 27 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 79 | 77 | 69 | 55 | 39 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
February is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Superior →
Next door
Superior and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Duluth173 miSummit39 miSuperior30 miTwin Lakes Township20 miSilver Brook Township15 miOakland13 miParkland12 miOliver0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | 29% | 0.3 | 9,148 | 64% | A |
| Oliver | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Summit | 69% | 0.3 | 72,401 | 73% | A |
| Parkland | under 1% | 0.4 | 571 | 57% | B |
| Oakland | 31% | 0.2 | 10,601 | 20% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Superior
Where can I hike in Superior?
The longest trail networks: Pattison State Park, 7.6 miles; St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Superior is conserved land?
29% 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 Superior’s trails?
Pattison State Park and St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Superior?
129,871 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Superior or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 19,275 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Superior have?
Ahead of 86% 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 Superior 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 →