Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1,057 acres4.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
COutdoors
Outdoors in Greenfield Township
14% of Greenfield Township’s land is conserved: 2,942 acres
The biggest trail networks: Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest (4.6 mi). 3% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3 acres are parks and preserves, 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,942 acres · of 32.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
3 ac
2.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Greenfield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greenfield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greenfield Township is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greenfield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home3% 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 30%
LessMore
Water is 15% of Greenfield Township’s area (6 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D 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
The longest trail network is Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, with 4.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mc Carthy Lake Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
450 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pool 4 Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
144 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest1,057 acres · 4.6 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMc Carthy Lake Wildlife Management Area450 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Pool 4 Wildlife Management Area144 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge4 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Peter Heins Wayside Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,942 conserved acres
14% of Greenfield Township’s land. Water is left out: Greenfield Township has 32.3 square miles of land and 5.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Greenfield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service3,442 ac
State natural resources1,073 ac
State fish & wildlife144 ac
Bureau of Land Management1 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 3,442 acState Resource Management Area · 1,068 acState Conservation Area · 149 acNational Public Lands · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 3,442 | Restricted |
| R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,068 | Open |
| Pool 4 State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 144 | Restricted |
| Kellogg-Weaver Dunes State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 5 | Restricted |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 1 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Greenfield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Greenfield Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Greenfield Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
When to get out
The walking year in Greenfield 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 30 | 43 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 44 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Greenfield Township →
Next door
Greenfield Township and its neighbors
Greenfield Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Watopa Township19 miGreenfield Township5.3 miMinneiska Township4.5 miWabasha2.6 miBelvidere1.2 miAlma0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield Township | 14% | 0.2 | 3 | 3% | C |
| Wabasha | 2% | 0.3 | 13 | 59% | B− |
| Watopa Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Minneiska 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 Greenfield Township
Where can I hike in Greenfield Township?
The longest trail networks: Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, 4.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greenfield Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Greenfield Township’s trails?
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and Mc Carthy Lake Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greenfield Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Greenfield Township?
24,041 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greenfield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,073 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Greenfield Township have?
Ahead of 30% 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 Greenfield 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 →