Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
661 acres2 mi of trail
Chapel Gorge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Jacob Weber House · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Wisconsin Dells
19% of Wisconsin Dells’ land is conserved: 938 acres
103 acres are parks and preserves, 40 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area (2 mi). 5.9 miles of mapped trail cross Wisconsin Dells, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #63 of 362 in Wisconsin State. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
938 acres · of 7.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.9 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
103 ac
40 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.5 mi
2.1 mi lanes · 3.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
6 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Wisconsin Dells?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wisconsin Dells have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wisconsin Dells is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #63 of 362 in Wisconsin State. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wisconsin Dells’ overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land40 acres of park per 1,000 residents (103 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home80% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
Wisconsin State towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 83%
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 Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jenkin's Park
Managed by City of Wisconsin Dells
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rocky Arbor State Park
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area661 acres · 2 mi of trail · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsJenkin's Park12 acres · City of Wisconsin Dells
DirectionsRocky Arbor State Park7 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRotary Park5 acres
DirectionsBowman Park4 acres
DirectionsBlackhawk Island State Natural Area1 acres · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Avenue Boat Launch1 acres · City of Wisconsin Dells
DirectionsWho protects it
938 conserved acres
19% of Wisconsin Dells’ land. Who manages Wisconsin Dells’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources694 ac
Private owners227 ac
Town or city26 ac
State Conservation Area · 664 acPrivate Park · 227 acLocal Park · 26 acUnknown Easement · 19 acState Park · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dells Of The Wisconsin River Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 664 | Restricted |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 227 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Rocky Arbor State Park State Park | State natural resources | 11 | Open |
| Jenkin'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Bowman Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Wisconsin Dells
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Wisconsin Dells
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Wisconsin Dells
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Wisconsin Dells
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Wisconsin Dells
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Wisconsin Dells
American Resort and Campground
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.8 mi
Chapel Gorge Trail1.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
4Tennis
2Basketball
1Football
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Wisconsin Dells
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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 44 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
February is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wisconsin Dells →
Next door
Wisconsin Dells 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Dells | 19% | 0.8 | 40 | 80% | A |
| Dell Prairie | 2% | 0.1 | 24 | 13% | C |
| Newport | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lyndon | 4% | 0.1 | 392 | 8% | B− |
| Delton | 14% | 0.8 | 928 | 19% | A− |
| Lake Delton | 4% | 1.6 | 19 | 58% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wisconsin Dells
Where can I hike in Wisconsin Dells?
The longest trail networks: Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area, 2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wisconsin Dells is conserved land?
19% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Wisconsin State town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Wisconsin Dells’ trails?
Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area and Jenkin's Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wisconsin Dells?
5.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes and 3.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wisconsin Dells?
8,591 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wisconsin Dells or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 103 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wisconsin Dells have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #63 of 362 in Wisconsin State. 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 Wisconsin Dells 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 →