Big Lake Township’s Lions Park
Managed by City of Big Lake
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: KAM32296 · CC BY-SA 4.0DOutdoors
Outdoors in Big Lake Township
Big Lake Township has 66 acres of parks, 8.1 for every 1,000 residents
0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Big Lake Township. 18% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 13% of U.S. towns · #269 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
104 acres · of 38.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
66 ac
8.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
18%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Big Lake Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Big Lake Township is ahead of 13% of U.S. towns, #269 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; park acres per resident come closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Big Lake Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land8.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (66 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home18% 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 13%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 2%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Big Lake Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Lake River Oaks Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sand Dunes State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
104 conserved acres
under 1% of Big Lake Township’s land. Who manages Big Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources61 ac
Town or city42 ac
State Conservation Area · 58 acLocal Park · 42 acState Resource Management Area · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River Islands State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 58 | Restricted |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Sand Dunes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Big Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Big Lake Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Big Lake Township
Dimmick Island Watercraft CampsiteMinnesota DNR
DirectionsTrails & water
10 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Big Lake 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Big Lake Township →
Next door
Big Lake Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Orrock Township32 miMonticello Township24 miElk River19 miBecker Township18 miOtsego6.8 miMonticello5.9 miBig Lake Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 18% | D |
| Otsego | 2% | 0.2 | 11 | 68% | B− |
| Monticello Township | 5% | 0.6 | 379 | 29% | B+ |
| Monticello | 4% | 0.6 | 22 | 91% | A− |
| Elk River | 4% | 0.4 | 42 | 88% | A− |
| Orrock Township | 65% | 0.9 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Becker 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 Big Lake Township
Where can I hike in Big Lake Township?
The longest trail networks: Bridgeview Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Big Lake Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Big Lake Township’s trails?
Big Lake Township’s Lions Park and Bridgeview Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Big Lake Township?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Big Lake Township?
15,826 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Big Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 67 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Big Lake Township have?
Ahead of 13% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #269 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 Big Lake 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 →