Bemidji City Park
Park
102 acres2.2 mi of trail
Montebello Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bemidji
Bemidji has 18 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Bemidji City Park (2.2 mi). 6% of Bemidji’s land is conserved, about 678 acres.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #81 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
678 acres · of 17.4 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
319 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bemidji?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bemidji have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bemidji is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #81 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bemidji’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (319 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks close to home93% 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 85%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 71%
Water is 22% of Bemidji’s area (5 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Bemidji City Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Brinkman Park
Managed by City of Bemidji
53 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Paul Bunyan Park
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Indian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
Bemidji City Park102 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBrinkman Park53 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Bemidji
North Country Park18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPaul Bunyan Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRalph Gracie Memorial Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Bemidji
DirectionsDiamond Point Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNymore Beach10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLibrary Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGordon Falls Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
East Lake Bemidji Park Preserve15 acres · City of Bemidji
Nymore Park11 acres
DirectionsCameron Park10 acres
DirectionsAlgoma Park5 acres · City of Bemidji
DirectionsNorth Lake Irving3 acres · City of Bemidji
Rako Community Garden2 acres
Otto Schmunk Park1 acres
Who protects it
678 conserved acres
6% of Bemidji’s land. Water is left out: Bemidji has 17.4 square miles of land and 4.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bemidji’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources401 ac
Town or city221 ac
State parks43 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government8 ac
State fish & wildlife5 ac
State Resource Management Area · 401 acLocal Park · 229 acState Park · 43 acState Conservation Area · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 401 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 71 | Open |
| Brinkman Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Lake Bemidji State Park State Park | State parks | 43 | Open |
| North Country Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| East Lake Bemidji Park Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Diamond Pt Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Nymore Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Cameron Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Nymore Beach Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
56 places to go in Bemidji
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bemidji
Diamond Point BeachIn Diamond Point Park
DirectionsSouth Shore BeachIn Nymore Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Bemidji
Diamond Point PlaygroundIn Diamond Point Park
Directions41 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Bemidji
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Bemidji
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Bemidji
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Bemidji
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Bemidji
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.9 miUnpaved · 8.0 mi
Montebello Trail2.2 mi
Indian Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
13 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
United States Bicycle Route 45Bike route
0.9 miMississippi River Trail (Minnesota)Bike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
25Baseball
21Tennis
11Basketball
9Soccer
6Pickleball
5Football
1Skate park
1Hockey rinks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bemidji Carnegie LibraryBuilding · listed 1980
About itBunyan, Paul, and Babe the Blue OxObject · listed 1988
About itDavid Park HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itBeltrami County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itGreat Northern DepotBuilding · listed 1988
About itNymore BridgeStructure · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Bemidji
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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 17 | 23 | 37 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 53 | 35 | 23 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bemidji →
Next door
Bemidji and its neighbors
Bemidji has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bemidji18 miNorthern Township18 miTurtle River Township18 miEckles Township12 miGrant Valley Township11 miBemidji Township6.1 miFrohn Township3.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji | 6% | 1.1 | 20 | 93% | A− |
| Bemidji Township | 1% | 0.3 | under 1 | 3% | D |
| Northern Township | 21% | 0.8 | 415 | 21% | A− |
| Eckles Township | 9% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Grant Valley Township | 11% | 0.3 | 2 | 2% | C |
| Frohn Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Turtle River Township | 7% | 0.6 | 49 | 17% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bemidji
Where can I hike in Bemidji?
The longest trail networks: Bemidji City Park, 2.2 miles; Brinkman Park, 0.4 miles; North Country Park, 0.4 miles; Paul Bunyan Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bemidji is conserved land?
6% 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 Bemidji’s trails?
Bemidji City Park and Brinkman Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bemidji?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes, 13 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: United States Bicycle Route 45 and Mississippi River Trail (Minnesota).
Is there public land near Bemidji?
34,247 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bemidji or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 724 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bemidji have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #81 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 Bemidji 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 →