Dodge Center has 39 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
2.2 miles of mapped trail cross Dodge Center, 0.9 per square mile of land. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Dodge Center’s land is conserved, about 33 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #153 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Dodge Center?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Dodge Center have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dodge Center is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #153 of 274 in Minnesota. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls 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 North Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
33 conserved acres
2% of Dodge Center’s land. Who manages Dodge Center’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| West Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
15 places to go in Dodge Center
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
0.0 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 Dodge Center
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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 78 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Dodge Center →
Dodge Center and its neighbors
Dodge Center has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Center | 2% | 0.9 | 14 | 92% | B+ |
| Wasioja Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ashland 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 Dodge Center
Where can I hike in Dodge Center?
The longest trail networks: North Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dodge Center is conserved land?
2% 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 Dodge Center’s trails?
North Park and Dodge Center Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dodge Center?
2,244 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dodge Center or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 39 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dodge Center have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #153 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 Dodge Center 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 →