Afton State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
819 acres12 mi of trail
Bobolink LoopPrairie LoopTrout Brook LoopOliver Charley Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Afton
Afton has 1,387 acres of parks, 469 for every 1,000 residents
23 miles of mapped trail cross Afton, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Afton State Park (12 mi), Stagecoach Prairie (5.7 mi), Belwin Conservancy (4 mi). 8% of Afton’s land is conserved, about 1,265 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #107 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,265 acres · of 25.1 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,387 ac
469 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,007 ft
Bissel's Mound
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Afton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Afton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Afton is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #107 of 274 in Minnesota. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Afton’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land469 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,387 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home36% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 61%
Water is 5% of Afton’s area (1 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Afton State Park, with 12 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stagecoach Prairie
Nature preserve
290 acres5.7 mi of trail
Butterfly TrailBluebird TrailBur Oak TrailBig Bluestem Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Belwin Conservancy
Managed by Belwin Conservancy
1,393 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Oxbow Trails
Nature preserve
44 acres0.9 mi of trail
Creekside TrailOak Ridge TrailWhite Pine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Afton State Park819 acres · 12 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsStagecoach Prairie290 acres · 5.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBelwin Conservancy1,393 acres · 4 mi of trail · Belwin Conservancy
DirectionsOxbow Trails44 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBison Prairie171 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSteamboat Park33 acres
DirectionsMeadow Ridge Park11 acres
Carver Park3 acres
Town Square Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,265 conserved acres
8% of Afton’s land. Water is left out: Afton has 25.1 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Afton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks819 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits444 ac
Town or city2 ac
State Park · 819 acLocal Conservation Area · 444 acLocal Park · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afton State Park State Park | State parks | 819 | Open |
| Belwin Conservancy Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 444 | Open |
| Afton City Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Afton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Afton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Afton
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Afton
Kingfisher OverlookIn Oxbow Trails
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Afton
Bissel's Mound1,007 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Afton
Afton Backpack CampgroundIn Afton State Park
DirectionsAfton State Park Back Country CampgroundIn Afton State Park
DirectionsAfton State Park River SideFee · In Afton State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miHorses · 3.5 miUnpaved · 20.4 mi
Bobolink Loop1.5 mi
Prairie Loop1.5 mi
Butterfly Trail1.4 mi
Bluebird Trail1.0 mi
Bur Oak Trail0.8 mi
Trout Brook Loop0.7 mi
Oliver Charley Trail0.6 mi
Campground Trail0.6 mi
Big Bluestem Trail0.5 mi
White Pine Trail0.5 mi
5 more trails
Coneflower Trail
0.4 miNorth River Trail
0.4 miCreekside Trail
0.4 miOak Ridge Trail
0.2 miTrail to the end of the line
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
3Tennis
2Equestrian
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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.
When to get out
The walking year in Afton
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
February is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Afton →
Next door
Afton and its neighbors
Afton has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Afton23 miDenmark Township22 miWoodbury9.7 miTroy8.0 miWest Lakeland Township3.2 miLake St. Croix Beach0.2 miLakeland0.1 miSt. Marys Point0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afton | 8% | 0.9 | 469 | 36% | A− |
| St. Marys Point | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lake St. Croix Beach | 1% | 0.4 | 4 | 96% | B− |
| West Lakeland Township | 6% | 0.3 | 51 | 3% | B− |
| Denmark Township | 6% | 0.8 | 791 | 40% | A− |
| Woodbury | 13% | 0.3 | 49 | 99%+ | A |
| Lakeland | 1% | under 0.1 | 11 | 95% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Afton
Where can I hike in Afton?
The longest trail networks: Afton State Park, 12 miles; Stagecoach Prairie, 5.7 miles; Belwin Conservancy, 4 miles; Oxbow Trails, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Afton is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Minnesota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Afton’s trails?
Afton State Park and Stagecoach Prairie don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Afton?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Afton?
28,676 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Afton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,387 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Afton have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #107 of 274 in Minnesota. 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 Afton 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 →