Steinberg Nature Park
Park
14 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Church of the Good Shepherd-Episcopal · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Blue Earth
11% of Blue Earth’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 160 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Blue Earth’s land is conserved, about 223 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #91 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
223 acres · of 3.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
160 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
4.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Blue Earth?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blue Earth have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blue Earth is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #91 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blue Earth’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (160 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 67%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Steinberg Nature Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
223 conserved acres
11% of Blue Earth’s land. Who manages Blue Earth’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land116 ac
Town or city107 ac
Conservation Easement · 116 acLocal Park · 81 acLocal Conservation Area · 20 acLocal Recreation Area · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Steinberg Nature Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Beyer Field Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Putnam Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Green Giant Statue Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Blue Earth
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Blue Earth
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Blue Earth
Faribault County FairgroundsIn Faribault County Fairground
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Tennis
4Baseball
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Blue Earth
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) | 24 | 29 | 41 | 57 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 60 | 43 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Blue Earth →
Next door
Blue Earth and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth | 11% | 0.2 | 51 | 99%+ | A− |
| Blue Earth City Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jo Daviess 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 Blue Earth
Where can I hike in Blue Earth?
The longest trail networks: Steinberg Nature Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blue Earth is conserved land?
11% 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 Blue Earth’s trails?
Steinberg Nature Park and Faribault County Fairground don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Blue Earth?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Blue Earth?
157 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blue Earth or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 160 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Blue Earth have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #91 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 Blue Earth 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 →