Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0Vernon has 1,518 acres of parks, 203 for every 1,000 residents
8% of Vernon’s land is conserved, about 1,458 acres. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Vernon, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #201 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Vernon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Vernon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vernon is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #201 of 362 in Wisconsin. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Bend Village Park
1,458 conserved acres
8% of Vernon’s land. Who manages Vernon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 1,458 | Open |
1 places to go in Vernon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
September is the best month for walking in Vernon
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 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vernon →
Vernon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon | 8% | 0.4 | 203 | 21% | B+ |
| Big Bend | under 1% | 0.5 | 13 | 49% | C+ |
| Mukwonago | 4% | 0.3 | 58 | 83% | B+ |
| Muskego | 8% | 1.0 | 72 | 85% | A |
| Mukwonago | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Waterford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tichigan | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| New Berlin | 5% | 0.5 | 31 | 90% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vernon
Where can I hike in Vernon?
The longest trail networks: Big Bend Village Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vernon is conserved land?
8% 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 Vernon’s trails?
Big Bend-Vernon Recreation Park and Heather Ridge Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Vernon?
33,283 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vernon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,518 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vernon have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #201 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 Vernon neighbors.
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 →