Afton State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
772 acres11.8 mi of trail
Deer Valley LoopSouth River TrailTrout Brook LoopPrairie Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
District No. 34 School · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Denmark Township
Denmark Township has 1,489 acres of parks, 791 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Afton State Park (11.8 mi), St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park (7.2 mi), Lost Valley Prairie SNA (1.3 mi). 22 miles of mapped trail cross Denmark Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. 6% of Denmark Township’s land is conserved, about 1,121 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,121 acres · of 28.5 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,489 ac
791 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.9 mi
6.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Denmark Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Denmark Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Denmark Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. 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 Denmark Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land791 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,489 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home40% 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 78%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Denmark Township’s area (2 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Afton State Park, with 11.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park
Park
677 acres7.2 mi of trail
Red LoopRustic Trail to boat landing
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lost Valley Prairie SNA
Nature preserve
319 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carpenter Nature Center
Nature preserve
443 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Afton State Park772 acres · 11.8 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSt. Croix Bluffs Regional Park677 acres · 7.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLost Valley Prairie SNA319 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCarpenter Nature Center443 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Denmark Township Park4 acres · Denmark Township
Who protects it
1,121 conserved acres
6% of Denmark Township’s land. Water is left out: Denmark Township has 28.5 square miles of land and 1.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Denmark Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks773 ac
State natural resources319 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits28 ac
State Park · 773 acState Conservation Area · 319 acLocal Other or Unknown · 28 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afton State Park State Park | State parks | 773 | Open |
| Lost Valley Prairie State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 319 | Restricted |
| Carpenter St. Criox Valley Nature Center Local Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 28 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Denmark Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Denmark Township
Dog Cove
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Denmark Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Denmark Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Denmark Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Denmark Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Denmark Township
Group CampIn St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 3.4 miUnpaved · 17.4 mi
Deer Valley Loop2.3 mi
Red Loop2.2 mi
South River Trail1.2 mi
Trout Brook Loop0.8 mi
Prairie Loop0.6 mi
Rustic Trail to boat landing0.4 mi
Oliver Charley Trail0.2 mi
Campground Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
3.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
3Beach volleyball
2Tennis
1Softball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
District No. 34 SchoolBuilding · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Denmark 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
February is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Denmark Township →
Next door
Denmark Township and its neighbors
Denmark Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Afton23 miDenmark Township22 miCottage Grove17 miClifton7.6 miNininger Township4.8 miHastings2.7 miRavenna Township1.3 miPrescott0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark Township | 6% | 0.8 | 791 | 40% | A− |
| Hastings | 14% | 0.3 | 19 | 99%+ | A− |
| Cottage Grove | 9% | 0.5 | 45 | 97% | A |
| Afton | 8% | 0.9 | 469 | 36% | A− |
| Nininger Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ravenna Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Denmark Township
Where can I hike in Denmark Township?
The longest trail networks: Afton State Park, 11.8 miles; St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park, 7.2 miles; Lost Valley Prairie SNA, 1.3 miles; Carpenter Nature Center, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Denmark Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Denmark Township’s trails?
Afton State Park and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Denmark Township?
9.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of off-road paths and 3.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Denmark Township?
21,420 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Denmark Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,489 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Denmark Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Denmark 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 →