Gichigami Ziibi WMA
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
862 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Cotton Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Cotton Township
The biggest trail networks: Gichigami Ziibi WMA (1.3 mi). 14% of Cotton Township’s land is conserved, about 6,304 acres. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Cotton Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
14%
6,304 acres · of 69.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
13
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 Gichigami Ziibi WMA, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cloquet Valley State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
5,999 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
6,304 conserved acres
14% of Cotton Township’s land. Who manages Cotton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources6,121 ac
State fish & wildlife183 ac
State Resource Management Area · 6,121 acState Conservation Area · 183 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,109 | Open |
| Cloquet Valley State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,012 | Open |
| Whiteface River State Aquatic Management Area (St. Louis) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 183 | Restricted |
Trails & water
2 named trails and 13 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.3 mi
Rose to Strand0.8 mi
Bob Russell Bogwalk0.2 mi
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
1Football
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Cotton 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 18 | 24 | 37 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 52 | 36 | 23 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cotton Township →
Next door
Cotton Township and its neighbors
Cotton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kelsey Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ellsburg Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northland 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 Cotton Township
Where can I hike in Cotton Township?
The longest trail networks: Gichigami Ziibi WMA, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Cotton Township’s trails?
Gichigami Ziibi WMA and Cloquet Valley State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cotton Township?
65,056 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cotton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,139 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Cotton 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 →