McLeod County Fairgrounds
Park
50 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hutchinson
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Hutchinson
The biggest trail networks: McLeod County Fairgrounds (0.7 mi), Miller Park (0.6 mi). 348 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents. 5.1 miles of mapped trail cross Hutchinson, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #109 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
231 acres · of 8.5 sq mi of land
Trails
5.1 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
348 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
37 mi
7.4 mi lanes · 24 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Hutchinson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hutchinson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hutchinson is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #109 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hutchinson’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (348 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 McLeod County Fairgrounds, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
AFS Park
Park
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 31 parks & preserves
McLeod County Fairgrounds50 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMiller Park22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRoberts Park35 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAFS Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Northwoods Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Fellow's Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDriftriders Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsShiloh Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Rolling Meadows East Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Masonic West River Park28 acres
Tartan Park17 acres
North Park11 acres
DirectionsSouth Park10 acres
DirectionsRiverside Jaycee Park9 acres
DirectionsVFW Park9 acres
Linden Park7 acres
Rotary Park6 acres
DirectionsEast River Park5 acres
Kiwanis Park4 acres
Directions3M Park3 acres
Elks Park3 acres
McLeod County Veterans Memorial Park3 acres
DirectionsLibrary Square2 acres
DirectionsFireman's Park2 acres
DirectionsBoy Scout Park1 acres
Junior Community Women Park1 acres
Lions West Park1 acres
Girl Scout Park1 acres
DirectionsKimberly Park1 acres
Legion Park1 acres
Eheim Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
231 conserved acres
4% of Hutchinson’s land. Who manages Hutchinson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city231 ac
Local Park · 223 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Masonic West River Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Kimberly Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Old Bass Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Odd Fellow'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| South Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Vfw Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Riverside Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Tartan Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Hutchinson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hutchinson
West River Play GroundIn Masonic West River Park
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Hutchinson
City of Hutchinson Dog Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hutchinson
Masonic/West River City ParkFee · In Masonic West River Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
37 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
24 mi
off-road bike paths
5.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
14Baseball
12Tennis
2Basketball
1Football
1Volleyball
1Equestrian
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places 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.
When to get out
The walking year in Hutchinson
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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hutchinson →
Next door
Hutchinson and its neighbors
Hutchinson has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson | 4% | 0.6 | 24 | 97% | A− |
| Hassan Valley Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lynn Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Acoma Township | 9% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hutchinson
Where can I hike in Hutchinson?
The longest trail networks: McLeod County Fairgrounds, 0.7 miles; Miller Park, 0.6 miles; Roberts Park, 0.4 miles; AFS Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hutchinson is conserved land?
4% 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 Hutchinson’s trails?
McLeod County Fairgrounds and Miller Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hutchinson?
37 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.4 of painted or protected lanes, 24 of off-road paths and 5.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Hutchinson?
803 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hutchinson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 348 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hutchinson have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #109 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 Hutchinson 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 →