Elm Creek Park Reserve
Managed by Three Rivers Park District
2,821 acres18.5 mi of trail
Hayden LoopMeadowlark TrailMonarch TrailHeron Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Dayton
Dayton has 3,317 acres of parks, 365 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Dayton’s land is conserved, about 3,267 acres. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Dayton, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Elm Creek Park Reserve (18.5 mi), Dayton Central Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #30 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
3,267 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,317 ac
365 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
30 mi
30 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Dayton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dayton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dayton is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #30 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dayton’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land365 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,317 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 89%
Water is 7% of Dayton’s area (2 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Elm Creek Park Reserve, with 18.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mississippi West Regional Park
Managed by Anoka County Parks
79 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
River Hills Park
Managed by City of Dayton
23 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Elm Creek Park Reserve2,821 acres · 18.5 mi of trail · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsDayton Central Park29 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSundance Woods Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Mississippi West Regional Park79 acres · Anoka County Parks
River Hills Park23 acres · City of Dayton
DirectionsElsie Stephens Park21 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsCloquet Island Scenic Overlook19 acres
DirectionsWildwood Springs Park11 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGoodin Park6 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Old Orchards Park6 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Diamond Lake Diamonds5 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Riversbend Park4 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
McNeil Park3 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Leathers Park3 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Donahue Dells Park2 acres · City of Dayton Parks and Recreation
Who protects it
3,267 conserved acres
22% of Dayton’s land. Water is left out: Dayton has 23.4 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Dayton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency3,137 ac
Town or city114 ac
Other state land9 ac
National Park Service4 ac
Joint1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 3,137 acLocal Park · 109 acConservation Easement · 10 acLocal Recreation Area · 5 acWild and Scenic River · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Creek Park Reserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 3,137 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Elsie Stephens Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Cloquet Overlook Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Wildwood Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Goodin Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Old Orchards Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Diamond Lakes Diamonds Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 4 | Open |
| Riversbend Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Dayton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Dayton
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Dayton
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Dayton
South Diamond Lake Public Water Access
DirectionsPicnic areas in Dayton
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Dayton
Cloquet Island Watercraft CampsiteIn Mississippi West Regional Park · Minnesota DNR
DirectionsHayden Lake CampIn Elm Creek Park Reserve · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 11.5 miUnpaved · 19.4 mi
Hayden Loop2.7 mi
Meadowlark Trail0.6 mi
Monarch Trail0.4 mi
Heron Trail0.4 mi
Sumac Trail0.3 mi
Oxbow Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
30 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Pickleball
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 Dayton
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 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Dayton →
Next door
Dayton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | 22% | 0.9 | 365 | 82% | A |
| Ramsey | 6% | 0.4 | 43 | 93% | A− |
| Otsego | 2% | 0.2 | 11 | 68% | B− |
| Rogers | 16% | 1.2 | 195 | 96% | A+ |
| Champlin | 21% | 2.4 | 49 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Anoka | 10% | 1.1 | 29 | 99%+ | A |
| Maple Grove | 10% | 0.6 | 36 | 94% | A |
| Elk River | 4% | 0.4 | 42 | 88% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dayton
Where can I hike in Dayton?
The longest trail networks: Elm Creek Park Reserve, 18.5 miles; Dayton Central Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dayton is conserved land?
22% 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 Dayton’s trails?
Elm Creek Park Reserve and Dayton Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dayton?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 30 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Dayton?
24,470 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dayton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,321 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dayton have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 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 Dayton 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 →