Castle Creek Conservancy
Managed by Village of Waunakee
45 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5AOutdoors
Outdoors in Waunakee
6% of Waunakee’s 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. The biggest trail networks: Castle Creek Conservancy (1.1 mi), Bolz Conservancy (0.8 mi). 443 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #77 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
266 acres · of 7.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.5 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
443 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
27 mi
6.5 mi lanes · 21 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Waunakee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waunakee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waunakee is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #77 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Waunakee’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (443 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks 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)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 79%
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 Castle Creek Conservancy, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bolz Conservancy
Managed by Village of Waunakee
13 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ripp Park
Managed by Village of Waunakee
86 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Waunakee Arboretum
Nature preserve
37 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 29 parks & preserves
Castle Creek Conservancy45 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsBolz Conservancy13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsRipp Park86 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsWaunakee Arboretum37 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsVillage Park21 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsCentennial Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsWilke Prairie Preserve6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Woodland Wayside3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
Dublin Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Waunakee
Sixmile Creek Conservancy35 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsTierney Park21 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsMeadowbrook Park16 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsWestbridge Park12 acres · Village of Waunakee
Hanover Park10 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsMcWatty Park10 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsWater Tower Park8 acres · Village of Waunakee
North Ridge Park7 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsHogan Road Skate Park6 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsScenic Valley Park6 acres · Village of Waunakee
Peaceful Valley Park5 acres · Village of Waunakee
Savannah Park5 acres · Village of Waunakee
Prairie Park4 acres · Village of Waunakee
Kilkenny Farms Park2 acres
Settlers Park2 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsPulvermacher Park2 acres · Village of Waunakee
Blue Ridge Park2 acres · Village of Waunakee
Breu-Kal Farms Park2 acres · Village of Waunakee
Augusta Park1 acres · Village of Waunakee
Reeve Park1 acres · Village of Waunakee
DirectionsWho protects it
266 conserved acres
6% of Waunakee’s land. Who manages Waunakee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city239 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits46 ac
County3 ac
Local Park · 201 acLocal Conservation Area · 38 acOther Easement · 26 acConservation Easement · 10 acUnknown Easement · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripp Park Local Park | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Castle Creek Conservancy Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Tierney Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Meadowbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Bolz Conservancy Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Hanover Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| North Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Scenic Valley Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Waunakee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Waunakee
28 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Waunakee
Ripp Park Dog ParkIn Ripp Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
27 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
21 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Soccer
21Tennis
17Baseball
8Pickleball
5Basketball
4Football
2Softball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Waunakee Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1978
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Waunakee
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 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Waunakee →
Next door
Waunakee and its neighbors
Waunakee has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waunakee | 6% | 0.5 | 28 | 99%+ | A |
| Westport | 15% | 1.4 | 413 | 95% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waunakee
Where can I hike in Waunakee?
The longest trail networks: Castle Creek Conservancy, 1.1 miles; Bolz Conservancy, 0.8 miles; Ripp Park, 0.3 miles; Waunakee Arboretum, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waunakee is conserved land?
6% 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 Waunakee’s trails?
Castle Creek Conservancy and Bolz Conservancy don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waunakee?
27 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of painted or protected lanes and 21 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Waunakee?
18,042 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waunakee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 443 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Waunakee have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 Waunakee 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 →