Allemarinda and James Wyer House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.08% of Excelsior’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 8% of Excelsior’s land is conserved, about 30 acres. 0.2 miles of mapped trail cross Excelsior, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Excelsior?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Excelsior have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Excelsior is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Water is 28% of Excelsior’s area (0 of 1 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Excelsior Commons, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
30 conserved acres
8% of Excelsior’s land. Water is left out: Excelsior has 0.6 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Excelsior’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Parkland Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| The Commons Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Open Space #2 Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
7 places to go in Excelsior
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
6 lakes & rivers
1.9 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.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in Excelsior
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 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Excelsior →
Excelsior and its neighbors
Excelsior has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior | 8% | 0.3 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Shorewood | 4% | 0.3 | 17 | 88% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Excelsior
Where can I hike in Excelsior?
The longest trail networks: Excelsior Commons, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Excelsior is conserved land?
8% 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 Excelsior’s trails?
Excelsior Commons doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Excelsior?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Excelsior?
22,920 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Excelsior or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 31 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Excelsior have?
Ahead of 77% 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 Excelsior 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 →