Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
337 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cannon Falls Township
Cannon Falls Township has 182 acres of parks, 198 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest (1.6 mi), Miesville Ravine Park Reserve (1.5 mi). 11% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Cannon Falls Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
474 acres · of 33.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
182 ac
198 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.1 mi
7.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Cannon Falls Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cannon Falls Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cannon Falls Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cannon Falls Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4CPark land198 acres of park per 1,000 residents (182 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home11% 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 40%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. 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 Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Miesville Ravine Park Reserve
Park
94 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
River Terrace Prairie SNA
Nature preserve
87 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
American Veterans Memorial Park
Park
87 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest337 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMiesville Ravine Park Reserve94 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Terrace Prairie SNA87 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAmerican Veterans Memorial Park87 acres
DirectionsTangential Wildlife Management Area25 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
474 conserved acres
2% of Cannon Falls Township’s land. Who manages Cannon Falls Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources363 ac
Other state land86 ac
State fish & wildlife25 ac
State Resource Management Area · 363 acConservation Easement · 86 acState Conservation Area · 25 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 86 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 363 | Open |
| Tangential State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 25 | Restricted |
Things to do
6 places to go in Cannon Falls Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cannon Falls Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cannon Falls Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Cannon Falls Township
Anderson Memorial Rest Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Cannon Falls Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Cannon Falls 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 40 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cannon Falls Township →
Next door
Cannon Falls Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stanton Township6.6 miDouglas Township5.5 miCannon Falls Township3.3 miVasa Township1.2 miCannon Falls0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Falls Township | 2% | 0.1 | 198 | 11% | C+ |
| Cannon Falls | 4% | 0.1 | 25 | 99% | B+ |
| Vasa Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stanton Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 89 | 26% | C+ |
| Douglas 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 Cannon Falls Township
Where can I hike in Cannon Falls Township?
The longest trail networks: Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, 1.6 miles; Miesville Ravine Park Reserve, 1.5 miles; River Terrace Prairie SNA, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cannon Falls 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 Cannon Falls Township’s trails?
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and Miesville Ravine Park Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cannon Falls Township?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cannon Falls Township?
5,926 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cannon Falls Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 462 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cannon Falls Township have?
Ahead of 40% 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 Cannon Falls 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 →