Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area
Park
226 acres3.5 mi of trail
Ice Age TrailWhite Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Mjrichter at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Bend
14% of West Bend’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
14% of West Bend’s land is conserved, about 1,408 acres. 1,617 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. 15 miles of mapped trail cross West Bend, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #21 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,408 acres · of 15.7 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,617 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is West Bend?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Bend have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Bend is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #21 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 West Bend’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,617 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home99% 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 95%
LessMore
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 94%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lac Lawrann Conservancy
Nature preserve
141 acres3.2 mi of trail
Rail Spur TrailRainbow Lake TrailLake Loop TrailPine Plantation Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Royal Oaks Park
Park
32 acres1.9 mi of trail
Lake Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ridge Run Park
Park
148 acres1.7 mi of trail
Ice Age Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Villa Park
Park
15 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Forest Home Park
Park
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Minz Park
Park
15 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 32 parks & preserves
Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area226 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLac Lawrann Conservancy141 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRoyal Oaks Park32 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRidge Run Park148 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsVilla Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Forest Home Park17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Minz Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Regner Park91 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsQuaas Creek Park31 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKenny Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park116 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHepburn Woods20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAlbecker Natural Area116 acres
Sunset Park48 acres
Decorah Woods46 acres
Rolf's Park35 acres
DirectionsLittle League Diamonds32 acres
DirectionsBicentennial Park32 acres
Gregg Preserve23 acres
Vogt Open Space17 acres
Ziegler Park16 acres
Silverbrook Creek Parkway15 acres
Wingate Park13 acres
Decorah Hills Park13 acres
DirectionsPrairie Meadow Park11 acres
Barton Park7 acres
DirectionsRiverfront Parkway3 acres
DirectionsSonshine Community Park2 acres
DirectionsJordan Family Park1 acres
Maplewynde Park1 acres
Muenk Playlot1 acres
Patrons Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,408 conserved acres
14% of West Bend’s land. Who manages West Bend’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,166 ac
County118 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits88 ac
State natural resources73 ac
Local Park · 1,061 acLocal Conservation Area · 223 acPrivate Conservation · 67 acState Park · 59 acConservation Easement · 35 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 206 | Open |
| Lac Lawrann Conservancy Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 192 | Open |
| Kilbourne Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Ridge Run County Park Local Park | County | 118 | Open |
| Quaas Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Park Site '0' Local Park | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Regner Park Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Albecker Natural Area Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Eisenbahn State Trail State Park | State natural resources | 59 | Open |
| Decorah Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 46 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in West Bend
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in West Bend
Regner PondFee · In Regner Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in West Bend
Riverside PlaygroundIn Riverside Park
DirectionsWe Rock The Spectrum Kid's Gym
DirectionsZiegler ParkIn Ziegler Park
Directions34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in West Bend
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in West Bend
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in West Bend
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in West Bend
Community Church GardenFee · Community Church
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 8.5 mi
Ice Age Trail3.7 mi
White Loop1.1 mi
Rail Spur Trail0.6 mi
Rainbow Lake Trail0.6 mi
Lake Loop Trail0.4 mi
Pine Plantation Loop0.3 mi
Eisenbahn State Trail0.2 mi
Cotton Creek Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
5.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
23Tennis
15Baseball
11Pickleball
9Basketball
7Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places 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.
West Bend TheaterBuilding
About itGadow's MillBuilding · listed 1974
About itWashington County Courthouse and JailBuilding · listed 1982
About itLeander F. Frisby HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itBarton Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itWest Bend Post OfficeBuilding · listed 2000
About itAmity Leather Products Company FactoryBuilding · listed 2002
About itWest Bend Chicago and North Western DepotBuilding · listed 2008
About itSt. Agnes Convent and SchoolBuilding · listed 2010
About itBarton Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 2018
About itWest Bend Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in West Bend
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in West Bend →
Next door
West Bend and its neighbors
West Bend has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in West Bend
Where can I hike in West Bend?
The longest trail networks: Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area, 3.5 miles; Lac Lawrann Conservancy, 3.2 miles; Royal Oaks Park, 1.9 miles; Ridge Run Park, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Bend is conserved land?
14% 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 West Bend’s trails?
Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area and Lac Lawrann Conservancy don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Bend?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths and 5.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near West Bend?
21,113 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Bend or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,617 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Bend have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 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 West Bend 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 →