Cedar Lake Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
53 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: K3vin · CC BY-SA 3.0DOutdoors
Outdoors in Farm Island Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Farm Island Township
The biggest trail networks: Cedar Lake Wildlife Management Area (0.5 mi). 3.8 miles of mapped trail cross Farm Island Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Farm Island Township’s land is conserved, about 680 acres.
Ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
680 acres · of 28.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
36
4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Farm Island Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Farm Island Township is ahead of 13% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Farm Island Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4CPark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 13%
LessMore
Water is 20% of Farm Island Township’s area (7 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Farm Island Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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 Cedar Lake WMA, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ripple River Wildlife Management Area, West Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
508 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
680 conserved acres
4% of Farm Island Township’s land. Water is left out: Farm Island Township has 28.4 square miles of land and 7.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Farm Island Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources604 ac
State fish & wildlife75 ac
Bureau of Land Management1 ac
State Resource Management Area · 604 acState Conservation Area · 75 acNational Public Lands · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 604 | Open |
| Cedar Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 52 | Restricted |
| Spirit Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Aitkin) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 13 | Restricted |
| Ripple Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Aitkin) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Restricted |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Farm Island Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Farm Island Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
36 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Anderson LakeApple LakeBachelor LakeBlack Shadow LakeBlue LakeBrennen LakeCamp LakeCarlson LakeCedar LakeChristmas LakeDiamond LakeDrain LakeDummer LakeFarm Island LakeHammal LakelakeHanging Kettle LakelakeHickory LakeHill LakeHorseshoe LakeLake FourLake ThreeLandgren LakeLittle Pete LakeLittle Pine LakeLong LakePine Island LakePrescott LakeRound LakeSpirit LakelakeSunset LakeTaylor LakeThornton LakeTown Line LakeTownhall LakeVorse LakeRipple River
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Pine-Hickory Lakes Roadside Parking AreaSite · listed 2016
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Farm Island 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 | 26 | 38 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 69 | 54 | 38 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Farm Island Township →
Next door
Farm Island Township and its neighbors
Farm Island Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Deerwood Township4.2 miFarm Island Township3.8 miAitkin Township3.3 miHazelton Township1.3 miNordland Township0.6 miAitkin0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Island Township | 4% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Nordland Township | 3% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Deerwood Township | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Hazelton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aitkin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aitkin | under 1% | 0.1 | 13 | 87% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Farm Island Township
Where can I hike in Farm Island Township?
The longest trail networks: Cedar Lake Wildlife Management Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Farm Island Township 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 Farm Island Township’s trails?
Cedar Lake Wildlife Management Area and Ripple River Wildlife Management Area, West Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Farm Island Township?
20,360 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Farm Island Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 416 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Farm Island Township have?
Ahead of 13% 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 Farm Island 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 →