Mabel Cora Maxwell Nature Study Area
Managed by Northland College
93 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
COutdoors
Outdoors in White River
White River has 60 acres of parks, 52 for every 1,000 residents
15% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross White River, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
154 acres · of 44.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
60 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does White River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, White River is ahead of 29% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of White River’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (60 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home15% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 29%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. 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 Mabel Cora Maxwell Nature Study Area, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ashland County Fairgrounds
Park
32 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
White River Fishery Area
Nature preserve
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
154 conserved acres
under 1% of White River’s land. Who manages White River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)132 ac
State natural resources22 ac
Conservation Easement · 132 acState Recreation Area · 21 acState Other or Unknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River Fishery Area-Bayfield State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 22 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in White River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in White River
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Town Road 690.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in White River
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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 28 | 39 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 69 | 55 | 39 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in White River →
Next door
White River 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White River | under 1% | 0.1 | 52 | 15% | C |
| Kelly | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sanborn | under 1% | 0.2 | 254 | 45% | B− |
| Gingles | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marengo | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ashland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in White River
Where can I hike in White River?
The longest trail networks: Mabel Cora Maxwell Nature Study Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of White River is conserved land?
under 1% 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 White River’s trails?
Mabel Cora Maxwell Nature Study Area and Ashland County Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near White River?
44,503 acres of parks and open public land lie inside White River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 60 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does White River have?
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 White River 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 →