Lake Carlos State Park
Park
1,208 acres11.2 mi of trail
Hidden Lake TrailRed Oak TrailHilltop TrailPrairie Restoration Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lake Carlos State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic District · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Carlos Township
Carlos Township has 1,234 acres of parks, 528 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lake Carlos State Park (11.2 mi). 9% of Carlos Township’s land is conserved, about 1,648 acres. 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,648 acres · of 30.0 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,234 ac
528 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Carlos Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carlos Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carlos Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carlos Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land528 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,234 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% 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 72%
LessMore
Water is 15% of Carlos Township’s area (5 of 35 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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 Lake Carlos State Park, with 11.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,648 conserved acres
9% of Carlos Township’s land. Water is left out: Carlos Township has 30.0 square miles of land and 5.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Carlos Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,150 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service521 ac
Other state land11 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
State Park · 1,150 acConservation Easement · 458 acResource Management Area · 74 acState Conservation Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 458 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Carlos State Park State Park | State parks | 1,150 | Open |
| Douglas County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 37 | Restricted |
| Douglas County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 37 | Restricted |
| Long Prairie River State Aquatic Management Area (Douglas) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2 | Restricted |
Things to do
19 places to go in Carlos Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Carlos Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Carlos Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Carlos Township
7 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Carlos Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Carlos Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Carlos Township
Hidden Lake Group CenterIn Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsLake Carlos Sate Park - Horse CampFee · In Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsLake Carlos State Park - Lower CampgroundIn Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsLake Carlos State Park - Upper CampgroundIn Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsLakeview Group CampIn Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsLuther Crest Bible CampHours: Open 24 hours
DirectionsPioneer Group CampIn Lake Carlos State Park · Lake Carlos State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 6.4 mi
Hidden Lake Trail1.7 mi
Red Oak Trail0.6 mi
Hilltop Trail0.5 mi
Prairie Restoration Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Carlos 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 19 | 24 | 37 | 53 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 70 | 55 | 38 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
February is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Carlos Township →
Next door
Carlos Township and its neighbors
Carlos Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Carlos Township13 miAlexandria Township10 miAlexandria9.6 miIda Township4.4 miBelle River Township4.2 miMiltona Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Township | 9% | 0.4 | 528 | 30% | B+ |
| Alexandria | 1% | 0.6 | 14 | 90% | B |
| Ida Township | 6% | 0.2 | under 1 | 8% | C− |
| Miltona Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Belle River Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Alexandria Township | 8% | 0.5 | 1 | 11% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carlos Township
Where can I hike in Carlos Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Carlos State Park, 11.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carlos Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Carlos Township’s trails?
Lake Carlos State Park and Rotary Beach Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Carlos Township?
2,385 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carlos Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,234 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carlos Township have?
Ahead of 72% 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 Carlos 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 →