Menomonee River Parkway
Park
355 acres7.5 mi of trail
Bubba's Woods Mountain Bike Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House · Photo: Freekee at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa has 27 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
11% of Wauwatosa’s land is conserved, about 908 acres. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Menomonee River Parkway (7.5 mi), County Grounds Park (2.7 mi), Forestry Education and Awareness Center (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #36 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
908 acres · of 13.2 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,256 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
41 mi
16 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Wauwatosa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wauwatosa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wauwatosa is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #36 of 362 in Wisconsin. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wauwatosa’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,256 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home91% 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 92%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 90%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Menomonee River Parkway, with 7.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forestry Education and Awareness Center
Nature preserve
63 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hoyt Park
Managed by Milwaukee County Parks
20 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Underwood Creek Parkway
Park
150 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Menomonee River Parkway355 acres · 7.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCounty Grounds Park68 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsForestry Education and Awareness Center63 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsHoyt Park20 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Milwaukee County Parks
DirectionsCurrie Park194 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsFirefly Grove Park14 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHoney Creek Parkway59 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsUnderwood Creek Parkway150 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNortheast Quadrant45 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGravel Sholes Park33 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsJacobus Park26 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Milwaukee County Parks
DirectionsCharles Hart Park42 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHartung Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Madison Park55 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWisconsin Avenue Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChippewa Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMeadowlands Commons1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCurrie Dog Park19 acres
DirectionsGrantosa Creek Parkway10 acres
DirectionsSchoonmaker Creek Parkway6 acres
Webster Park4 acres
DirectionsApplecroft Park1 acres
Who protects it
908 conserved acres
11% of Wauwatosa’s land. Who manages Wauwatosa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County582 ac
Private owners178 ac
State natural resources74 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits22 ac
Not recorded126 ac
Local Park · 702 acPrivate Park · 178 acState Resource Management Area · 66 acLocal Recreation Area · 27 acState Park · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currie Park Local Park | County | 192 | Open |
| Bluemound Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 178 | Open |
| Underwood Parkway Local Park | County | 159 | Open |
| County Grounds Park Local Park | Not recorded | 158 | Open |
| Forestry Exploration Center State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 66 | Open |
| Madison Park Local Park | County | 55 | Open |
| Hoyt Park Local Park | Not recorded | 42 | Open |
| Hart Park Local Park | County | 41 | Open |
| Jacobus Park Local Park | County | 25 | Open |
| Hansen Golf Course Parkway Local Recreation Area | County | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
49 places to go in Wauwatosa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Wauwatosa
Madison Park Splash PadIn Madison Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wauwatosa
38 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Wauwatosa
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Wauwatosa
Bridge Picnic AreaIn Charles Hart Park
DirectionsChestnut Street CommonsIn Charles Hart Park
DirectionsOak Leaf Trail Picnic AreaIn Charles Hart Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 1In Jacobus Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 2In Jacobus Park
DirectionsPicnic Area 3In Jacobus Park
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.7 miUnpaved · 18.5 mi
Monarch Trail0.8 mi
Bubba's Woods Mountain Bike Trail0.6 mi
Witch-Hazel Ridge Trail0.3 mi
Karen Ordinans Activity Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
41 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
10 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Bubba's Woods Mountain Bike TrailBike route
2 miHoyt Park Mountain Bike TrailBike route
1.9 miCourts & fields
32Tennis
26Baseball
25Soccer
15Tracks
12Basketball
4Beach volleyball
4Football
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →22 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
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.
Lowell Damon HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itAnnunciation Greek Orthodox ChurchBuilding · listed 1974
About itSunnyhill HomeBuilding · listed 1980
About itH. R. Davis HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itJ. H. Fiebing HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itPearl C. Norton HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itWarren B. George HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itWillis Hopkins HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itThomas B. Hart HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itKneeland-Walker HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About it10 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Wauwatosa: July and September
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 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 60 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wauwatosa →
Next door
Wauwatosa and its neighbors
Wauwatosa has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauwatosa | 11% | 2.0 | 26 | 91% | A |
| Milwaukee | 9% | 0.9 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Brookfield | 6% | 0.3 | 40 | 91% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wauwatosa
Where can I hike in Wauwatosa?
The longest trail networks: Menomonee River Parkway, 7.5 miles; County Grounds Park, 2.7 miles; Forestry Education and Awareness Center, 1.8 miles; Hoyt Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wauwatosa is conserved land?
11% 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 Wauwatosa’s trails?
Menomonee River Parkway and County Grounds Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wauwatosa?
41 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 10 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Bubba's Woods Mountain Bike Trail and Hoyt Park Mountain Bike Trail.
Is there public land near Wauwatosa?
21,510 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wauwatosa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,318 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wauwatosa have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 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 Wauwatosa 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 →