Cannon River Wilderness Park
Nature preserve
653 acres4.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Drake, Edwin S., Farmhouse · Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bridgewater Township
Bridgewater Township has 10 miles of mapped trails, 0.3 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Cannon River Wilderness Park (4.3 mi). 2 acres are parks and preserves, 1.0 per 1,000 residents. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 20% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
359 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2 ac
1.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 1.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bridgewater Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bridgewater Township is ahead of 20% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bridgewater Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home21% 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 20%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Bridgewater 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
The longest trail network is Cannon River Wilderness Park, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Roosevelt Ridge Park West
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
359 conserved acres
2% of Bridgewater Township’s land. Who manages Bridgewater Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land194 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service147 ac
State fish & wildlife17 ac
Conservation Easement · 342 acState Conservation Area · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 342 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Brook State Aquatic Management Area (Rice) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 17 | Restricted |
| Cannon River State Aquatic Management Area (Rice) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
4 places to go in Bridgewater Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bridgewater Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Bridgewater Township
2 campgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Bridgewater Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miUnpaved · 5.9 mi
Prairie Loop1.1 mi
Heath Creek Trail0.6 mi
Big Pond Loop0.6 mi
Windmill Trail0.5 mi
Big Woods Trail0.4 mi
Conifer Trail0.2 mi
Forest Restoration Loop 20.2 mi
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
3.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Tennis
2Equestrian
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Drake, Edwin S., FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Bridgewater 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bridgewater Township →
Next door
Bridgewater Township and its neighbors
Bridgewater Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Northfield25 miBridgewater Township10 miCannon City Township2.7 miDundas1.9 miNorthfield Township1.1 miForest Township0.8 miGreenvale Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater Township | 2% | 0.3 | 1 | 21% | C− |
| Northfield | 14% | 2.9 | 41 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Dundas | 5% | 1.0 | 14 | 99%+ | A |
| Forest Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 6 | 4% | C− |
| Northfield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greenvale Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cannon City Township | 2% | 0.1 | 226 | 12% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bridgewater Township
Where can I hike in Bridgewater Township?
The longest trail networks: Cannon River Wilderness Park, 4.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bridgewater Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Bridgewater Township’s trails?
Cannon River Wilderness Park and Roosevelt Ridge Park West don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bridgewater Township?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 1.4 of off-road paths and 3.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Bridgewater Township?
4,889 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bridgewater Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bridgewater Township have?
Ahead of 20% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bridgewater 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 →