Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Cambridge has 318 acres of parks, 31 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Cambridge’s land is conserved, about 305 acres. 1.5 miles of mapped trail cross Cambridge, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #140 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Cambridge?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cambridge is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #140 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Central Green Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Joe's Lake Natural Preserve
Brown Park
All 11 parks & preserves
305 conserved acres
6% of Cambridge’s land. Who manages Cambridge’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit River Nature Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 127 | Open |
| Joe'S Lake Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Cambridge City Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Central Green Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Brown Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Peterson Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lorne Erickson Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Honeysuckle Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
9 places to go in Cambridge
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 lakes & rivers
6.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The walking year in Cambridge
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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Cambridge →
Cambridge and its neighbors
Cambridge has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 6% | 0.2 | 31 | 92% | B+ |
| Cambridge Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 60 | 13% | C |
| Springvale Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 156 | 7% | C |
| Bradford Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 19 | 13% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cambridge
Where can I hike in Cambridge?
The longest trail networks: Central Green Park, 0.4 miles; Joe's Lake Natural Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cambridge is conserved land?
6% 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 Cambridge’s trails?
Central Green Park and Joe's Lake Natural Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cambridge?
6.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 5.1 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Cambridge?
5,041 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cambridge or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 318 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #140 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 Cambridge neighbors.
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 →