Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.099% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Whitewater
5.5 miles of mapped trail cross Whitewater, 0.6 per square mile of land. 290 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents. 2% of Whitewater’s land is conserved, about 135 acres.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #138 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Whitewater?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Whitewater have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Whitewater is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #138 of 362 in Wisconsin. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is William Carter Mall, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Effigy Mound Park
All 15 parks & preserves
135 conserved acres
2% of Whitewater’s land. Who manages Whitewater’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trippe Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Starin Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Effigy Mound Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Moraine View Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Cravath Lakefront Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Meadowsweet Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Brewery Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| East Gate Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Turtle Mound Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Big Brich Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
11 places to go in Whitewater
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
6 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.
September is the best month for walking in Whitewater
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 32 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Whitewater →
Whitewater and its neighbors
Whitewater has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater | 2% | 0.6 | 18 | 99% | B+ |
| Cold Spring | — 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 Whitewater
Where can I hike in Whitewater?
The longest trail networks: William Carter Mall, 0.4 miles; Starin Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Whitewater is conserved land?
2% 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 Whitewater’s trails?
William Carter Mall and Trippe Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Whitewater?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of painted or protected lanes, 6.8 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Whitewater?
21,173 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Whitewater or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 290 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Whitewater have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #138 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 Whitewater neighbors.
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 →