Hopkins Commercial Historic District · Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.59% of Hopkins’ 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. 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Hopkins, 2.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Valley Park (1.5 mi), Central Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #45 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hopkins?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hopkins have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hopkins is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #45 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.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Valley Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Central Park
All 10 parks & preserves
221 conserved acres
9% of Hopkins’ land. Who manages Hopkins’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowbrook Local Park | Town or city | 129 | Open |
| Valley Park Local Park | County | 67 | Open |
| Minnehaha Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 23 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Maetzold Field Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Shady Oak Nature Area Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Burnes Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Oakes Park Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
| Cottageville Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
| Hilltop Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
20 places to go in Hopkins
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 lakes & rivers
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The walking year in Hopkins
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) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hopkins →
Hopkins 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkins | 9% | 2.2 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Minnetonka | 7% | 1.0 | 25 | 92% | A |
| St. Louis Park | 11% | 1.1 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| Edina | 12% | 1.7 | 25 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hopkins
Where can I hike in Hopkins?
The longest trail networks: Valley Park, 1.5 miles; Central Park, 0.5 miles; Burnes Park, 0.3 miles; Maetzold Field, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hopkins is conserved land?
9% 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 Hopkins’ trails?
Valley Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hopkins?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 13 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hopkins?
27,008 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hopkins or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 227 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hopkins have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Hopkins neighbors.
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 →