Hannah's Bend Park
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Mill Towns State Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cannon Falls School · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cannon Falls
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Cannon Falls
105 acres are parks and preserves, 25 per 1,000 residents. 0.5 miles of mapped trail cross Cannon Falls, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Cannon Falls’ land is conserved, about 112 acres.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns · #166 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
112 acres · of 4.6 sq mi of land
Trails
0.5 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
105 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
6.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Cannon Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cannon Falls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cannon Falls is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns, #166 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cannon Falls’ overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4CPark land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (105 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 67%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 40%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Hannah's Bend Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gemini Aquatic Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
23 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Hannah's Bend Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGemini Aquatic Management Area23 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsArchie Swenson Softball Fields13 acres
DirectionsPublic Swimming Pool Complex10 acres
DirectionsJohn Burch Park9 acres
DirectionsTroll Haven Park5 acres
DirectionsMinnieska Park5 acres
DirectionsRiverside Park4 acres
DirectionsTwo Rivers Park3 acres
DirectionsEast Side Park3 acres
DirectionsSandstone Ridge Park3 acres
DirectionsSouth Pines Park1 acres
DirectionsDon Mensing Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
112 conserved acres
4% of Cannon Falls’ land. Who manages Cannon Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city60 ac
State fish & wildlife52 ac
Local Park · 60 acState Conservation Area · 52 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini State Aquatic Management Area (Goodhue) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 52 | Restricted |
| Hannahs Bend Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Cannon Falls Softball Fields Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Troll Haven Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| John Burch Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Minnieska Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| East Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sandstone Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Cannon Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cannon Falls
Tot LotIn East Side Park
DirectionsTot Lot
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cannon Falls
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Cannon Falls
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Mill Towns State Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tracks
8Baseball
8Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
2Football
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Cannon Falls SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itCapt. Charles Gellett HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itChurch of the Redeemer-EpiscopalBuilding · listed 1980
About itEllsworth Hotel Livery StableBuilding · listed 1980
About itFiremen's HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itYale Hardware StoreBuilding · listed 1980
About itDarwin E. Yale HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itThird Street BridgeStructure · listed 1989
About itCannon Falls Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Cannon Falls
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 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cannon Falls →
Next door
Cannon Falls and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Randolph Township8.6 miStanton Township6.6 miDouglas Township5.5 miCannon Falls Township3.3 miHampton Township2.5 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 | 4% | 0.1 | 25 | 99% | B+ |
| Cannon Falls Township | 2% | 0.1 | 198 | 11% | C+ |
| Stanton Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 89 | 26% | C+ |
| Randolph Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Douglas Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hampton 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
Where can I hike in Cannon Falls?
The longest trail networks: Hannah's Bend Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cannon Falls is conserved land?
4% 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’ trails?
Hannah's Bend Park and Gemini Aquatic Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cannon Falls?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cannon Falls?
3,513 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cannon Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 105 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cannon Falls have?
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #166 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 Cannon Falls 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 →