New DNR activities database helps people find fun in the Wisconsin outdoors

Finding fun in Wisconsin just got a whole lot easier with the launch today of a new activities locator that can be found on the Department of Natural Resources website by searching for “Explore Outdoors.”

This new interactive tool allows users to search millions of acres of public lands by county, by proximity to a city, by type of property or by one of 22 listed outdoor activities. For example, search terms can be combined to find dog training areas where you can also ride horseback within a specific county or near a listed city.

“Wisconsin has so much to offer in the way of outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR Lands Division administrator. “There are countless possibilities, and to make it easy for residents we’ve created this Web page to help them find the kind of place and activity they’re looking for.”

By clicking the property link from the search results, people can get more detail on the property, including maps. Theide notes that one search covers opportunities on all of the following DNR properties: state parks and trails, state forests, natural areas, wildlife areas, fisheries areas and wild rivers. Searches can be done statewide, by county or by proximity to a city.

“Most, if not all, of these properties offer multiple recreational opportunities, and that’s what we’re trying to do here, to make all the opportunities to engage in an outdoor recreation open and available to folks,” explains Thiede.

The page also links directly to the DNR customer call center, which operates 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week, and includes a feedback survey so customers can provide input on how to improve the new service.