Woodland Trails Regional Park
Nature preserve
376 acres8 mi of trail
Wash Pond FlatsScouring Rush RunThe Old "X"Top of the World+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: ElkRiverCommunications · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Elk River
Elk River has 1,113 acres of parks, 42 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Woodland Trails Regional Park (8 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Elk River, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #131 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,082 acres · of 42.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,113 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
39 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 39 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Elk River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elk River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elk River is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #131 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elk River’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,113 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home88% 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 76%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 52%
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 Woodland Trails Regional Park, with 8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
William H. Houlton Conservation Area
Nature preserve
342 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hillside Park
Managed by City of Elk River
77 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Camp Cozy Park
Park
39 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Woodland Trails Regional Park376 acres · 8 mi of trail
DirectionsLion John Weicht Park32 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDave Anderson Athletic Complex10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Country Crossing Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
William H. Houlton Conservation Area342 acres
Hillside Park77 acres · City of Elk River
DirectionsCamp Cozy Park39 acres
Burr Oak Park27 acres
Harris Island Park20 acres
Alba Ridge Park19 acres
Orono Park18 acres
Windsor Park11 acres
Oak Savanna Park8 acres
Ridgewood East Park4 acres
Deerfield Hill Park3 acres
Riverplace Park2 acres
Mississippi Oaks Park1 acres
Fresno Park1 acres
West Oakes Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,082 conserved acres
4% of Elk River’s land. Who manages Elk River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,054 ac
State natural resources27 ac
State fish & wildlife1 ac
Local Park · 977 acLocal Recreation Area · 77 acState Conservation Area · 28 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Trails Park Local Park | Town or city | 392 | Open |
| Hillside City Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Meadowvale Heights Park Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Youth Athletic Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Camp Cozy Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Big Tooth Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Lions Park/Lions Park Center Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Birch Meadow Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Rice Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Mississippi River Islands State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 27 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Elk River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Elk River
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Elk River
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Elk River
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Elk River
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 11.2 mi
Wash Pond Flats0.8 mi
Scouring Rush Run0.7 mi
The Old "X"0.7 mi
Top of the World0.6 mi
Hackberry Run0.6 mi
Stony Rollers0.5 mi
North Mickey0.5 mi
Maple Hill0.4 mi
Pepper Hollow0.4 mi
Big Tooth Shoot0.3 mi
5 more trails
The "Pin"
0.3 miDavis Street Northwest
0.2 miGravity Box
0.2 mi193rd Avenue Northwest
0.1 miGravity Box By-Pass
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
39 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
39 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
19Baseball
17Tennis
9Basketball
2Soccer
1Football
1Tracks
1Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Elk 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 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 Elk River →
Next door
Elk River and its neighbors
Elk River has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dayton20 miElk River19 miRamsey11 miOtsego6.8 miLivonia Township3.4 miBig Lake Township0.8 miNowthen0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk River | 4% | 0.4 | 42 | 88% | A− |
| Otsego | 2% | 0.2 | 11 | 68% | B− |
| Big Lake Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 18% | D |
| Ramsey | 6% | 0.4 | 43 | 93% | A− |
| Nowthen | 1% | under 0.1 | 29 | 12% | C− |
| Livonia Township | 1% | 0.1 | 26 | 12% | C |
| Dayton | 22% | 0.9 | 365 | 82% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elk River
Where can I hike in Elk River?
The longest trail networks: Woodland Trails Regional Park, 8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elk River is conserved land?
4% 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 Elk River’s trails?
Woodland Trails Regional Park and William H. Houlton Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Elk River?
39 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes and 39 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Elk River?
21,673 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elk River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,113 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Elk River have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #131 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 Elk 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 →