Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor
Nature preserve
201 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: 123dieinafire · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Circle Pines
27% of Circle Pines’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 27% of Circle Pines’ land is conserved, about 310 acres. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Circle Pines, 1.3 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #4 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
310 acres · of 1.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
314 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
4.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Circle Pines?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Circle Pines have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Circle Pines is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #4 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Circle Pines’ overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (314 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)#4 of 274
Water is 10% of Circle Pines’ area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 25%.
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 Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carl Eck Park
Park
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor201 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsGolden Lake Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBaldwin Park31 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarl Eck Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Inner Park5 acres
DirectionsNorth Star Park5 acres
Indian Hills Park3 acres
Who protects it
310 conserved acres
27% of Circle Pines’ land. Water is left out: Circle Pines has 1.7 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Circle Pines’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County216 ac
Town or city94 ac
Local Park · 310 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor Local Park | County | 187 | Open |
| Baldwin Park Local Park | County | 29 | Open |
| Aspen Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Indian Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Tamarack Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Golden Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Carl Eck Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| City Hall Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| North Star Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Pheasant Run Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Circle Pines
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Circle Pines
Golden LakeIn Golden Lake Park
DirectionsPublic pools in Circle Pines
Appartment pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Circle Pines
Golden LakeIn Golden Lake Park
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Circle Pines
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
3Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Tennis
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 Circle Pines
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) | 22 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Circle Pines →
Next door
Circle Pines and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle Pines | 27% | 1.3 | 63 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Blaine | 4% | 0.6 | 13 | 98% | B+ |
| Lino Lakes | 2% | 0.6 | 15 | 89% | B |
| Lexington | 4% | under 0.1 | 6 | 99%+ | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Circle Pines
Where can I hike in Circle Pines?
The longest trail networks: Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor, 0.7 miles; Baldwin Park, 0.1 miles; Carl Eck Park, 0.1 miles; Golden Lake Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Circle Pines is conserved land?
27% 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 Circle Pines’ trails?
Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor and Baldwin Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Circle Pines?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Circle Pines?
18,574 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Circle Pines or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 314 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Circle Pines have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #4 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 Circle Pines 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 →