Mississippi Gateway Regional Park
Park
280 acres4.4 mi of trail
Rush Creek Regional Trail FootpathEdward D. Shimek Nature TrailTreetop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Public domain · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Brooklyn Park
11% of Brooklyn Park’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11% of Brooklyn Park’s land is conserved, about 1,746 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mississippi Gateway Regional Park (4.4 mi), Rush Creek Regional Trail (1.6 mi), Oak Grove Park (0.8 mi). 1,894 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #66 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,746 acres · of 26.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,894 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
96 mi
7.7 mi lanes · 88 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Brooklyn Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brooklyn Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brooklyn Park is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #66 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brooklyn Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,894 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 76%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Mississippi Gateway Regional Park, with 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rush Creek Regional Trail
Park
96 acres1.6 mi of trail
Rush Creek Regional Trail Footpath
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Southbrook Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Northern Trail Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Rush Creek Regional Trail Footpath
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 47 parks & preserves
Mississippi Gateway Regional Park280 acres · 4.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRush Creek Regional Trail96 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
Oak Grove Park84 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthwoods Park54 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSouthbrook Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Northern Trail Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Brookdale Park164 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park71 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBirch Grove Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHamilton Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrook Oaks Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Orchard Trail Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeland Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
College Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPinebrook Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunny Acres Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Palmer Lake Park91 acres
Islands of Peace County Park59 acres · Anoka County Parks & Recreation
River Park58 acres
DirectionsNoble Sports Park52 acres
DirectionsZane Sports Park36 acres
DirectionsGreenhaven Park31 acres
DirectionsBass Creek Park26 acres
Hartkopf Park24 acres
DirectionsNorwood Park24 acres
DirectionsTrinity Gardens Park22 acres
Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park19 acres
Eidem Homestead18 acres
DirectionsJewell Park16 acres
DirectionsWillowstone Park12 acres
DirectionsMAC Wildlife Area9 acres
Cottonwood Park8 acres
Shingle Creek Park8 acres
Royal Oaks Park8 acres
Cavelle Park7 acres
Tessman Acres Park7 acres
Edinbrook Park6 acres
DirectionsMonroe Park6 acres
DirectionsWillows of Aspen Park5 acres
Edgewood Park5 acres
DirectionsZanewood Park4 acres
DirectionsSunny Lane Park4 acres
Cherry Meadows Park3 acres
Sunkist Park2 acres
Stratford Crossing Park1 acres
Striefel Park1 acres
Wickford Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,746 conserved acres
11% of Brooklyn Park’s land. Who manages Brooklyn Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,690 ac
County56 ac
Local Park · 1,253 acLocal Recreation Area · 274 acLocal Conservation Area · 219 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Hennepin Regional Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 227 | Open |
| Brookdale Park Local Park | Town or city | 181 | Open |
| Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 167 | Open |
| Environmental Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 118 | Open |
| Palmer Lake Environmental Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Oak Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 91 | Open |
| Bass Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Zane Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Islands Of Peace Park Local Park | County | 56 | Open |
| Northwoods Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
83 places to go in Brooklyn Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brooklyn Park
Hillside Play AreaIn Mississippi Gateway Regional Park
DirectionsMini-Mississippi Water Play AreaIn Mississippi Gateway Regional Park
DirectionsWoodland Elementary Playground
Directions69 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Brooklyn Park
Brookdale Off Leash Dog ParkIn Brookdale Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brooklyn Park
Mississippi River 83rd Ave N Boat RampIn River Park
DirectionsScenic views in Brooklyn Park
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Brooklyn Park
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Brooklyn Park
Southbrook Community GardensIn Southbrook Park
DirectionsPlus 3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 10.5 mi
Rush Creek Regional Trail Footpath2.4 mi
Edward D. Shimek Nature Trail0.4 mi
Treetop Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
96 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
88 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
66Baseball
46Tennis
26Basketball
26Soccer
19Pickleball
14Football
14Softball
2Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Brooklyn Park
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 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brooklyn Park →
Next door
Brooklyn Park and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Maple Grove21 miChamplin20 miCoon Rapids15 miBrooklyn Park14 miFridley7.5 miBrooklyn Center2.2 miNew Hope1.5 miOsseo0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Park | 11% | 0.6 | 23 | 99% | A |
| Brooklyn Center | 6% | 0.3 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Coon Rapids | 6% | 0.7 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Fridley | 9% | 0.7 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
| Osseo | 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Maple Grove | 10% | 0.6 | 36 | 94% | A |
| Champlin | 21% | 2.4 | 49 | 99%+ | A+ |
| New Hope | 5% | 0.3 | 9 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brooklyn Park
Where can I hike in Brooklyn Park?
The longest trail networks: Mississippi Gateway Regional Park, 4.4 miles; Rush Creek Regional Trail, 1.6 miles; Oak Grove Park, 0.8 miles; Northwoods Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brooklyn Park 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 Brooklyn Park’s trails?
Mississippi Gateway Regional Park and Rush Creek Regional Trail don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brooklyn Park?
96 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.7 of painted or protected lanes, 88 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Brooklyn Park?
32,745 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brooklyn Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,894 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Brooklyn Park have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #66 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 Brooklyn Park 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 →