Isle of Ferns Park
Managed by City of Wausau
27 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wausau
7% of Wausau’s land is conserved, and 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Isle of Ferns Park (0.9 mi), Peoples Sports Complex (0.5 mi), Eau Claire River Conservancy (0.5 mi). 7% of Wausau’s land is conserved, about 855 acres. 768 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #131 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
855 acres · of 19.2 sq mi of land
Trails
6.6 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
768 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
36 mi
19 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wausau?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wausau have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wausau is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #131 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 Wausau’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (768 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 64%
Water is 5% of Wausau’s area (1 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Isle of Ferns Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Peoples Sports Complex
Managed by Marathon County
68 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto North Parking
Eau Claire River Conservancy
Managed by Marathon County
49 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Marathon Park
Managed by Marathon County
79 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 43 parks & preserves
Isle of Ferns Park27 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of Wausau
DirectionsPeoples Sports Complex68 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Marathon County
DirectionsEau Claire River Conservancy49 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Marathon County
DirectionsMarathon Park79 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Marathon County
DirectionsMemorial Park30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsScholfield Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWestview Terrace5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAlexander Airport Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Highlands5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sylvan Hill Park81 acres
DirectionsSunny Vale County Park47 acres · Marathon County
DirectionsRib River Park40 acres · Marathon County
Paff Woods Nature Preserve29 acres · Marathon County
DirectionsBrockmeyer Park24 acres
DirectionsOak Island Park24 acres
DirectionsRiverside Park15 acres
Directions3M Park15 acres
DirectionsRiverlife Park13 acres · City of Wausau
DirectionsBarker-Stewart Island Park12 acres
DirectionsPleasant View Park10 acres
DirectionsAirport Park9 acres
DirectionsGilbert Park8 acres
DirectionsWhite Water Park7 acres · Marathon County
DirectionsD.C. Everest County Park7 acres · Marathon County
Forest Park6 acres
Grace Park5 acres
Radtke Point Park5 acres
DirectionsHorgen Park5 acres
Schulenburg Park5 acres · Marathon County
DirectionsReservoir Park4 acres
DirectionsPicnic Island3 acres · City of Wausau
DirectionsKaiser Park2 acres
DirectionsSwiderski Park2 acres
Stewart Park2 acres · Marathon County
DirectionsWoodson Park2 acres
DirectionsBig Bull Falls Park2 acres
DirectionsCity Hall Park2 acres
DirectionsSeymour Park2 acres
Directions400 Block Park2 acres
DirectionsHammond Park1 acres
DirectionsTenth Street Park1 acres
Yawkey Park1 acres
DirectionsLincoln Tot Lot1 acres
Who protects it
855 conserved acres
7% of Wausau’s land. Water is left out: Wausau has 19.2 square miles of land and 1.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Wausau’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city536 ac
Private owners219 ac
State natural resources77 ac
County59 ac
Bureau of Land Management5 ac
Local Park · 523 acPrivate Park · 219 acLocal Recreation Area · 59 acState Conservation Area · 39 acState Resource Management Area · 39 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood Hills Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 147 | Open |
| Sylvan Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Marathon Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| American Legion Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 71 | Open |
| Eastbay Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 59 | Open |
| Sunny Vale Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| State Owned Islands State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 39 | Open |
| Rib River Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| State Owned Islands - Wd State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 30 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
97 places to go in Wausau
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Wausau
Kaiser PoolIn Kaiser Park
DirectionsSchulenburg PoolIn Schulenburg Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wausau
Splash PadIn 400 Block Park
Directions40 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Wausau
Two Hearts Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Wausau
Gilbert Park Boat & Kayak LaunchFee · In Gilbert Park
DirectionsSchofield Park Slipway
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Wausau
9 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wausau
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Wausau
38 community gardens are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.2 mi
West Loop0.3 mi
Middle Path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
36 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
19 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
5.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
41Tennis
27Baseball
22Soccer
12Pickleball
12Tracks
7Football
6Basketball
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →22 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hiram C. Stewart HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itCyrus C. Yawkey HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itGranville D. Jones HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itC. B. Bird HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itC. F. Dunbar HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itC. H. Wegner HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itD. C. Everest HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itE.K. Schuetz HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itFirst Universalist ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itMarathon County FairgroundsStructure · listed 1980
About itEly Wright HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itHenry Miller HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About it10 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Wausau
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 | 40 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 56 | 40 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wausau →
Next door
Wausau and its neighbors
Wausau has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wausau | 7% | 0.3 | 19 | 95% | A− |
| Stettin | 2% | 0.1 | 148 | 27% | C+ |
| Maine | 1% | under 0.1 | 98 | 21% | C |
| Rib Mountain | 33% | 0.7 | 728 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Weston | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Schofield | 19% | 0.9 | 66 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Texas | 1% | under 0.1 | 193 | 18% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wausau
Where can I hike in Wausau?
The longest trail networks: Isle of Ferns Park, 0.9 miles; Peoples Sports Complex, 0.5 miles; Eau Claire River Conservancy, 0.5 miles; Marathon Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wausau is conserved land?
7% 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 Wausau’s trails?
Isle of Ferns Park and Peoples Sports Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wausau?
36 miles of bike routes are on the map: 19 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 5.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wausau?
19,183 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wausau or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 772 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wausau have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #131 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 Wausau 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 →