Big Lake River Oaks Park
Park
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: KAM32296 · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Big Lake
Big Lake has 74 acres of parks, 6.0 for every 1,000 residents
87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Big Lake’s land is conserved, about 57 acres. 1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Big Lake, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #235 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
57 acres · of 7.2 sq mi of land
Trails
1.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
74 ac
6.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Big Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Big Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Big Lake is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #235 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Big Lake’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land6.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (74 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13CParks close to home87% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 41%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 14%
Water is 11% of Big Lake’s area (1 of 8 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. 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 Highline Park
Managed by City of Big Lake
5 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sanford Select Acres Park
Managed by City of Big Lake
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Big Lake Highline Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Big Lake
DirectionsWright's Crossing Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBluff Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Jefferson Square Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Lake River Oaks Park27 acres
Big Lake Lakeside Park13 acres
DirectionsSanford Select Acres Park5 acres · City of Big Lake
DirectionsLake Ridge Park4 acres
Lake Mitchell Park4 acres
Norland Park1 acres · City of Big Lake
Hudson Woods Park1 acres
Powell Park1 acres
Who protects it
57 conserved acres
1% of Big Lake’s land. Water is left out: Big Lake has 7.2 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Big Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city56 ac
Local Park · 56 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Lakeside Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Lake Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Lake Mitchell Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Wright'S Crossing Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Hudson Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bluff Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Powell Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Big Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Big Lake
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Big Lake
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Big Lake
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Baseball
8Tennis
5Soccer
4Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
2Basketball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Big Lake
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 →
Questions about parks and trails in Big Lake
Where can I hike in Big Lake?
The longest trail networks: Big Lake Highline Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Big Lake is conserved land?
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’s trails?
Big Lake River Oaks Park and Big Lake Lakeside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Big Lake?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Big Lake?
13,820 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Big Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 74 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Big Lake have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #235 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 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 →