Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
Park
1,704 acres13.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Credit River
Credit River has 2,712 acres of parks, 488 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Credit River’s land is conserved, about 2,711 acres. 23 miles of mapped trail cross Credit River, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (13.8 mi), Cleary Lake Regional Park (6.3 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #74 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,711 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,712 ac
488 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Credit River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Credit River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Credit River is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #74 of 274 in Minnesota. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Credit River’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land488 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,712 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home35% 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 86%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 73%
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 Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, with 13.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cleary Lake Regional Park
Park
718 acres6.3 mi of trail
Lakeside TrailBig Woods Regional TrailPoplar Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cleary Lake Park
Park
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,711 conserved acres
18% of Credit River’s land. Who manages Credit River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency2,672 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service79 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,830 acLocal Park · 841 acResource Management Area · 79 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy-Hanrehan Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1,830 | Open |
| Cleary Lake Local Park | Regional agency | 841 | Open |
| Dakota County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 40 | Restricted |
| Scott County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 40 | Restricted |
Things to do
23 places to go in Credit River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Credit River
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Credit River
2 swimming spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Credit River
13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Credit River
Cleary Lake Dog ParkIn Cleary Lake Regional Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Credit River
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Credit River
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Credit River
Basswood sites 1-11In Cleary Lake Regional Park
DirectionsBasswood sites 12-14In Cleary Lake Regional Park
DirectionsCleary Lake Regional ParkFee · In Cleary Lake Regional Park
DirectionsWhite Pine sites 1-6In Cleary Lake Regional Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 11.9 miUnpaved · 17.9 mi
Lakeside Trail1.2 mi
Big Woods Regional Trail1.1 mi
Poplar Creek Trail1.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
16 mi
off-road bike paths
4.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Big Woods Regional TrailBike route
1.1 miMurphy-Hanrehan Singletrack TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
25Basketball
10Equestrian
3Tennis
2Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Credit River
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 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Credit River →
Next door
Credit River and its neighbors
Credit River has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lakeville27 miCredit River23 miSavage13 miPrior Lake9.8 miSpring Lake Township2.9 miNew Market Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit River | 18% | 1.0 | 488 | 35% | A |
| Savage | 18% | 0.8 | 36 | 98% | A |
| Prior Lake | 14% | 0.6 | 53 | 99% | A |
| Spring Lake Township | 2% | 0.1 | 89 | 31% | C+ |
| Lakeville | 7% | 0.7 | 25 | 99% | A |
| New Market Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 16 | 11% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Credit River
Where can I hike in Credit River?
The longest trail networks: Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, 13.8 miles; Cleary Lake Regional Park, 6.3 miles; Lodge Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Credit River is conserved land?
18% 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 Credit River’s trails?
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve and Cleary Lake Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Credit River?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 16 of off-road paths and 4.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Big Woods Regional Trail and Murphy-Hanrehan Singletrack Trail.
Is there public land near Credit River?
22,162 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Credit River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,712 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Credit River have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #74 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 Credit River 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 →