Myre - Big Island State Park
Park
1,743 acres12.7 mi of trail
Esker TrailPrairie View TrailGreat Marsh TrailPelican Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Albert Lea Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Albert Lea Township
The biggest trail networks: Myre - Big Island State Park (12.7 mi). 12% of Albert Lea Township’s land is conserved, about 1,574 acres. 1,785 acres are parks and preserves, 4,171 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
12%
1,574 acres · of 21.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,785 ac
4,171 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.2 mi
4.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
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 Myre - Big Island State Park, with 12.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
P.N. and G.M. Nelson Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
35 acres
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
St Nicholas County Park
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pickerel Lake Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Myre - Big Island State Park1,743 acres · 12.7 mi of trail
DirectionsP.N. and G.M. Nelson Wildlife Sanctuary35 acres · The Nature Conservancy
St Nicholas County Park12 acres
Pickerel Lake Park11 acres
Wedgewood Park4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,574 conserved acres
12% of Albert Lea Township’s land. Water is left out: Albert Lea Township has 21.0 square miles of land and 3.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Albert Lea Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,374 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service322 ac
Other state land30 ac
County8 ac
State Park · 1,374 acResource Management Area · 322 acConservation Easement · 30 acLocal Park · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myre-Big Island State Park State Park | State parks | 1,374 | Open |
| Freeborn County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 322 | Restricted |
| St. Nicholas Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Albert Lea Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Campgrounds in Albert Lea Township
Backpack #1In Myre - Big Island State Park
DirectionsBackpack #2In Myre - Big Island State Park
DirectionsBig Island CampgroundIn Myre - Big Island State Park
DirectionsWhite Fox CampgroundIn Myre - Big Island State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 12.0 mi
Esker Trail1.4 mi
Prairie View Trail1.4 mi
Great Marsh Trail1.2 mi
Pelican Trail0.8 mi
Monarch Trail0.8 mi
Big Island Trail0.7 mi
Bur Oak Trail0.7 mi
Oak Hill Trail0.5 mi
Sunset Trail0.5 mi
White Fox Trail0.4 mi
3 more trails
Crossing Trail
0.3 miPlum Trail
0.3 miBobolink Trail
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The walking year in Albert Lea Township
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) | 23 | 28 | 40 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Albert Lea Township →
Next door
Albert Lea Township and its neighbors
Albert Lea Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Albert Lea Township14 miAlbert Lea6.7 miHayward Township3.4 miPickerel Lake Township0.9 miBancroft Township0.5 miFreeman Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Lea Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Albert Lea | 4% | 0.5 | 24 | 95% | A− |
| Freeman Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hayward Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pickerel Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bancroft Township | — 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 Albert Lea Township
Where can I hike in Albert Lea Township?
The longest trail networks: Myre - Big Island State Park, 12.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Albert Lea Township’s trails?
Myre - Big Island State Park and P.N. and G.M. Nelson Wildlife Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Albert Lea Township?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Albert Lea Township?
4,185 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Albert Lea Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,785 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Albert Lea Township 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 →