Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.07% of Columbia Heights’ 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. 3.5 miles of mapped trail cross Columbia Heights, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Kordiak Park (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #94 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Columbia Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Columbia Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Columbia Heights is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #94 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident 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 Kordiak Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Silver Lake Park
All 14 parks & preserves
142 conserved acres
7% of Columbia Heights’ land. Who manages Columbia Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huset Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Sullivan Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Labelle Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Kordiak County Park Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Keyes Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Prestemon Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Gauvitte Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Mckenna Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Silver Lake Beach Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Ramsdell Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in Columbia Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 lakes & rivers
6.5 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.
The walking year in Columbia Heights
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) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Columbia Heights →
Columbia Heights and its neighbors
Columbia Heights has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Heights | 7% | 1.0 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Fridley | 9% | 0.7 | 22 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Columbia Heights
Where can I hike in Columbia Heights?
The longest trail networks: Kordiak Park, 0.9 miles; Huset Park, 0.4 miles; Curt Ramsdell Park, 0.3 miles; Silver Lake Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Columbia Heights is conserved land?
7% 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 Columbia Heights’ trails?
Kordiak Park and Huset Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Columbia Heights?
6.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 5.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Columbia Heights?
27,676 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Columbia Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 178 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Columbia Heights have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #94 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 Columbia Heights 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 →