Oscar Olson Park
Managed by City of Glencoe
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Glencoe
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Glencoe
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.1 miles of mapped trail cross Glencoe. 2% of Glencoe’s land is conserved, about 40 acres.
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns · #221 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
40 acres · of 3.2 sq mi of land
Trails
0.1 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
56 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.7 mi
2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
What kind of outdoors town is Glencoe?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Glencoe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Glencoe is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns, #221 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Glencoe’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (56 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 46%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 19%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Glenn Knoll Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Oscar Olson Park13 acres · City of Glencoe
DirectionsLincoln Park2 acres
Glenn Knoll Park2 acres
Welcome Park2 acres
DirectionsDrew Park1 acres
Who protects it
40 conserved acres
2% of Glencoe’s land. Who manages Glencoe’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city40 ac
Local Park · 40 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Leaf Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Glen Knoll Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Lincoln Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Glencoe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Glencoe
Drew Park playgroundIn Drew Park
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Glencoe
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Glencoe
Oak Leaf Park CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
9 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
2.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
2Basketball
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
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 Glencoe
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 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Glencoe →
Next door
Glencoe and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glencoe | 2% | under 0.1 | 10 | 99%+ | B− |
| Glencoe Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Helen 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 Glencoe
How much of Glencoe 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 Glencoe’s trails?
Oscar Olson Park and Lincoln Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Glencoe?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Glencoe?
410 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Glencoe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 56 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Glencoe have?
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #221 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 Glencoe 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 →