Pillsbury State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
33,401 acres10.4 mi of trail
48th Avenue Southwest
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Fairview Township
More than half of Fairview Township’s land is conserved: 55%
55% of Fairview Township’s land is conserved, about 12,427 acres. The biggest trail networks: Pillsbury State Forest (10.4 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross Fairview Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
55%
12,427 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.0 mi
7.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
1 beach · 4 boat launches
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 Pillsbury State Forest, with 10.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
12,427 conserved acres
55% of Fairview Township’s land. Water is left out: Fairview Township has 35.6 square miles of land and 11.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fairview Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources9,075 ac
Joint2,964 ac
State fish & wildlife394 ac
State Resource Management Area · 9,075 acUnknown Easement · 2,964 acState Conservation Area · 394 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,959 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 4 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillsbury State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 9,067 | Open |
| Stump Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 394 | Restricted |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Fairview Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fairview Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Fairview Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Fairview Township
Shafer Lake Day Use AreaIn Pillsbury State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Fairview Township
Birch Bay RV Resort
DirectionsPillsbury State Forest- Walter Stark Horse CampFee · In Pillsbury State Forest
DirectionsRock Lake CampgroundFee · In Pillsbury State Forest · Crow Wing State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 1.8 mi
48th Avenue Southwest0.2 mi
Biking & sports
8.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.8 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Fairview 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 19 | 25 | 38 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 77 | 69 | 54 | 37 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Fairview Township →
Next door
Fairview Township and its neighbors
Fairview Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fairview Township11 miMay Township7.2 miEast Gull Lake6.1 miHome Brook Township5.8 miSylvan Township3.7 miLake Shore0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Gull Lake | 1% | 0.8 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Lake Shore | 13% | under 0.1 | 75 | 8% | C+ |
| Home Brook Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sylvan Township | 10% | 0.1 | 83 | 2% | B− |
| May 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 Fairview Township
Where can I hike in Fairview Township?
The longest trail networks: Pillsbury State Forest, 10.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Fairview Township’s trails?
Pillsbury State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fairview Township?
8.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.8 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Fairview Township?
19,684 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairview Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,148 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fairview 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 →