Theodore Wirth Park
Managed by Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
544 acres17 mi of trail
North LoopArea 3645 North TrailConundrum+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Golden Valley
17% of Golden Valley’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. 22 miles of mapped trail cross Golden Valley, 2.2 per square mile of land. 17% of Golden Valley’s land is conserved, about 1,077 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #5 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,077 acres · of 10.2 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,126 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
45 mi
12 mi lanes · 32 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
71
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Golden Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Golden Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Golden Valley is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #5 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Golden Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,126 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)#5 of 274
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Theodore Wirth Park, with 17 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Glenview Park
Park
13 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mary Hills Nature Area
Managed by City of Golden Valley
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 48 parks & preserves
Theodore Wirth Park544 acres · 17 mi of trail · Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
DirectionsGlenview Park13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWestwood Hills Park22 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMary Hills Nature Area17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Golden Valley
DirectionsHampshire Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsIsaacson Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Golden Valley
DirectionsBassett Creek Nature Area7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Golden Valley
DirectionsBriarwood Nature Area24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Golden Valley
Brookview Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMedley Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRice Lake Nature Area10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Golden Valley
Gearty Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Tyrol Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Adeline Nature Area2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGeneral Mills Research Nature Area53 acres · General Mills
DirectionsLaurel Avenue Greenbelt37 acres
DirectionsSochacki Park35 acres · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsGeneral Mills Nature Preserve31 acres · General Mills
DirectionsPennsylvania Woods24 acres · City of Golden Valley
DirectionsWestern Avenue Marsh23 acres
DirectionsWesley Park20 acres
DirectionsLions Park20 acres
DirectionsSandburg Athletic Facility18 acres
DirectionsSchaper Park12 acres
DirectionsNorth Tyrol Park11 acres
Scheid Park11 acres
DirectionsTheodore Wirth Parkway7 acres · Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
DirectionsXenia Open Space7 acres
DirectionsNatchez Park6 acres
DirectionsValley View Park6 acres
DirectionsPlymouth Avenue Open Space6 acres
DirectionsLakeview Park5 acres
DirectionsMinnaqua Greenbelt5 acres
Dahlberg Open Space5 acres
DirectionsSeeman Park5 acres
DirectionsWildwood Park4 acres
Bassett Valley Open Space3 acres
DirectionsIdaho Wetland2 acres
Stockman Park2 acres
Golden Ridge Nature Area2 acres · City of Golden Valley
Golden Oaks Park2 acres
DirectionsGolden Hills Pond2 acres
DirectionsYosemite Park2 acres
Saint Croix Park2 acres
DirectionsArdmore North and South Ponds1 acres
Byrd Bluff Open Space1 acres
Meadow Pond1 acres
Janalyn Pond1 acres
Who protects it
1,077 conserved acres
17% of Golden Valley’s land. Who manages Golden Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city959 ac
Regional agency61 ac
Joint55 ac
Other state land2 ac
Local Park · 744 acLocal Conservation Area · 216 acLocal Recreation Area · 59 acPrivate Conservation · 55 acState Recreation Area · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theodore Wirth Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 565 | Open |
| General Mills Research Nature Area Private Conservation | Joint | 55 | Open |
| Laurel Ave Greenbelt Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| General Mills Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Sochacki Park Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Brookview Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Pennsylvania Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Westwood Hills Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Western Avenue Marsh Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Sandburg Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
39 places to go in Golden Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Golden Valley
Wirth Lake BeachIn Theodore Wirth Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Golden Valley
32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Golden Valley
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Golden Valley
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in Golden Valley
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 52 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.9 miUnpaved · 18.0 mi
North Loop2.4 mi
Area 362.2 mi
45 North Trail1.4 mi
Conundrum1.0 mi
Glenwood Loop0.9 mi
South Loop0.7 mi
Dead Dog0.4 mi
Jar Hill0.3 mi
Quarry Trail0.3 mi
Section 60.3 mi
2 more trails
The Tube
0.2 miSouthwest Wirth
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Ardmore North PondpondArdmore South PondpondBassett Creek LagoonspondBoone Avenue PondpondBreck PondpondBreck Pond 1pondBreck Pond 2pondBreck Pond 3pondBrookview PondBrookview Pond ABrookview Pond BBrookview Pond CBrookview Pond DBrookview Pond EBrookview Pond FBrookview Pond GBrookview Pond HBrookview Pond IBrookview Pond JBrookview Pond MBrookview Pond NBrookview Pond OChicago PondpondColonial PondpondCortlawn PondDecola Pond ADecola Pond BDecola Pond CDecola Pond DDecola Pond EDecola Pond FDuck PondpondDuluth PondpondEast Ring PondGeorgia PondGlen 1 PondpondGlenwood PondpondGolden Hills PondpondHarold PondpondHidden Lakes Pond 1pondHidden Lakes Pond 2ApondHidden Lakes Pond 2BpondIke PondpondJanalyn PondLilac PondpondLoop E PondpondLoop F PondpondMeadow Lane Woods PondpondMeadow PondNatchez PondpondBassett CreekSweeney Branch Bassett Creek
Biking & sports
45 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
32 mi
off-road bike paths
1.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
North LoopBike route
2.5 miArea 36Bike route
2.2 mi45 NorthBike route
1.4 miConundrumBike route
1 miGlenwood LoopBike route
0.9 miSouth LoopBike route
0.7 miSection 6 LoopBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
38Tennis
30Baseball
15Basketball
14Soccer
9Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Maternity HospitalBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Golden Valley
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 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Golden Valley →
Next door
Golden Valley and its neighbors
Golden Valley has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley | 17% | 2.2 | 52 | 99%+ | A+ |
| St. Louis Park | 11% | 1.1 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Minneapolis | 11% | 1.5 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
| Crystal | 8% | 0.7 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| Robbinsdale | 10% | 0.6 | 15 | 99%+ | A |
| Plymouth | 11% | 0.6 | 29 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Golden Valley
Where can I hike in Golden Valley?
The longest trail networks: Theodore Wirth Park, 17 miles; Glenview Park, 0.6 miles; Westwood Hills Park, 0.5 miles; Mary Hills Nature Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Golden Valley is conserved land?
17% 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 Golden Valley’s trails?
Theodore Wirth Park and Glenview Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Golden Valley?
45 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes, 32 of off-road paths and 1.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: North Loop, Area 36 and 45 North.
Is there public land near Golden Valley?
31,121 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Golden Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,126 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Golden Valley have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Golden Valley 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 →