Jay C Hormel Nature Center
Park
339 acres10.1 mi of trail
South TrailWest Prairie LoopBig Bluestem LoopHeadwaters Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Darb02 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Austin
9% of Austin’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13 miles of mapped trail cross Austin, 1.0 per square mile of land. 1,013 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. 9% of Austin’s land is conserved, about 807 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #46 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
807 acres · of 13.4 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,013 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Austin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Austin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Austin is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #46 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Austin’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,013 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 84%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Jay C Hormel Nature Center, with 10.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mower County Fairgrounds
Park
44 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dresner Disc golf park
Park
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Wildwood Park
Park
110 acres0.3 mi of trail
Todd Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Jay C Hormel Nature Center339 acres · 10.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMower County Fairgrounds44 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDresner Disc golf park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWildwood Park110 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTodd Park158 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMarcusen Park48 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKaufman Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Community Park68 acres
DirectionsHorace Austin Park49 acres
DirectionsSchrafel Wildlife Management Area33 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsNorth Driesner Park17 acres
DirectionsShirley Theel Memorial Park11 acres
DirectionsNorthWest Park7 acres
DirectionsCullen Park7 acres
Murphy Creek Park6 acres
Bustad Park5 acres
Sutton Park5 acres
Fayette sherman Park4 acres
South Grove Park3 acres
Galloway Park2 acres
Orchard Creek Park2 acres
Decker Park2 acres
Victoria's Park2 acres
Sterling Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
807 conserved acres
9% of Austin’s land. Who manages Austin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city773 ac
State fish & wildlife33 ac
Local Park · 773 acState Conservation Area · 33 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay C Hormel Nature Center Local Park | Town or city | 349 | Open |
| Todd Park Local Park | Town or city | 161 | Open |
| East Side Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Marcusen Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Schrafel State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 33 | Restricted |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Horace Austin Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Wildwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Sutton Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
49 places to go in Austin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Austin
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Austin
Children's BarnyardIn Mower County Fairgrounds
DirectionsTot LotIn Marcusen Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Todd Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Todd Park
Directions39 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Austin
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Austin
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Austin
6 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Austin
CampingIn Mower County Fairgrounds
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 10.9 mi
South Trail1.4 mi
West Prairie Loop1.4 mi
Big Bluestem Loop0.8 mi
Headwaters Loop0.7 mi
Restored Prairie Loop0.7 mi
Prairie Garden Trail0.7 mi
Pond Loop0.7 mi
Lone Oak Loop0.6 mi
Tower Loop0.5 mi
Pine Loop0.5 mi
5 more trails
Wet Woods Trail
0.3 miCovered Bridge Trail
0.2 miBig Bluestem Cut-off
0.2 miLone Oak/Tower Loop
0.1 miTodd Park Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
19 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Baseball
16Tennis
5Soccer
4Basketball
4Pickleball
3Football
2Volleyball
1Multi-sport
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).
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Austin
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 | 72 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Austin →
Next door
Austin and its neighbors
Austin has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Austin13 miRed Rock Township1.9 miLansing Township1.2 miAustin Township1.1 miWindom Township0.3 miMapleview0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 9% | 1.0 | 38 | 96% | A |
| Lansing Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Austin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mapleview | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Windom Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Red Rock 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 Austin
Where can I hike in Austin?
The longest trail networks: Jay C Hormel Nature Center, 10.1 miles; Mower County Fairgrounds, 0.7 miles; Dresner Disc golf park, 0.4 miles; Wildwood Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Austin is conserved land?
9% 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 Austin’s trails?
Jay C Hormel Nature Center and Mower County Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Austin?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Austin?
1,114 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Austin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,013 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Austin have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #46 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 Austin 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 →