Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
317 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Pickwick Mill · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0DOutdoors
Outdoors in Homer Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Homer Township
6% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1 acre is park or preserve, 0.7 per 1,000 residents. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Homer Township.
Ahead of 11% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
557 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1 ac
0.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
6%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Homer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Homer Township is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; conserved land comes closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Homer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land0.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1 acre) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home6% 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 11%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Homer 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
557 conserved acres
2% of Homer Township’s land. Who manages Homer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources316 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service226 ac
State fish & wildlife88 ac
Other state land38 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
State Resource Management Area · 316 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 226 acState Conservation Area · 88 acConservation Easement · 38 acLocal Park · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 316 | Open |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 226 | Restricted |
| Pickwick Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Winona) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 51 | Restricted |
| Cedar Valley Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Winona) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 37 | Restricted |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Homer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Homer Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Homer Township
High rock
DirectionsNorth View
DirectionsCampgrounds in Homer Township
Pla-Mor CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Lower quarry Loop0.4 mi
Eagle Watchers trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Beach volleyball
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Homer 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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 58 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Homer Township →
Next door
Homer Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Winona28 miTrempealeau26 miRichmond Township9.4 miBuffalo4.3 miHomer Township1.1 miWilson Township1.1 miPleasant Hill Township0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 6% | D |
| Winona | 10% | 1.5 | 54 | 97% | A+ |
| Wilson Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 9% | D |
| Pleasant Hill Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Richmond 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 Homer Township
How much of Homer Township 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 Homer Township’s trails?
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Homer Township?
13,254 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Homer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 319 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Homer Township have?
Ahead of 11% 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 Homer 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 →