Bowstring State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
27,123 acres16 mi of trail
Forest Rd 2403Forrest Rd 3250Forest Rd 3204
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
–Not graded
Outdoors in Bowstring Township
More than half of Bowstring Township’s land is conserved: 61%
61% of Bowstring Township’s land is conserved, about 10,268 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bowstring State Forest (16 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross Bowstring Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
61%
10,268 acres · of 26.5 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
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 Bowstring State Forest, with 16 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chippewa National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
5,923 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
10,268 conserved acres
61% of Bowstring Township’s land. Water is left out: Bowstring Township has 26.5 square miles of land and 9.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bowstring Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service5,923 ac
State natural resources4,353 ac
National Forest · 5,923 acState Resource Management Area · 4,353 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 5,923 | Open |
| Bowstring State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 4,353 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Bowstring Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Bowstring Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Forest Rd 24031.0 mi
Forrest Rd 32500.8 mi
Forest Rd 32040.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Bowstring 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 17 | 24 | 37 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 52 | 36 | 22 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bowstring Township →
Next door
Bowstring Township and its neighbors
Bowstring Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowstring Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Oteneagen Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lake Jessie Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marcell 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 Bowstring Township
Where can I hike in Bowstring Township?
The longest trail networks: Bowstring State Forest, 16 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Bowstring Township’s trails?
Bowstring State Forest and Chippewa National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bowstring Township?
215,414 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bowstring Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,360 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bowstring 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 →