Kerry Park
Park
16 acres0.7 mi of trail
Blue Ox Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Baker, Alexander, School and E.W. Backus Junior High School · Photo: BackusAB · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in International Falls
International Falls has 80 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Kerry Park (0.7 mi), Smokey Bear Park (0.5 mi). 2% of International Falls’ land is conserved, about 68 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #184 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
68 acres · of 6.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
80 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.9 mi
2.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is International Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does International Falls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, International Falls is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #184 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of International Falls’ overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (80 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks close to home92% 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 62%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 33%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Kerry Park, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
International Falls Recreation
Park
18 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Kerry Park16 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSmokey Bear Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsInternational Falls Recreation18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Shorewood Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTony Rizzo Field7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverview Park10 acres
DirectionsBurlington Park1 acres · International Falls City
DirectionsGreen Acres Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
68 conserved acres
2% of International Falls’ land. Who manages International Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city36 ac
State natural resources32 ac
Local Park · 36 acState Resource Management Area · 32 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 32 | Open |
| Kerry Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Smokey Bear Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Riverview Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Shorewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in International Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in International Falls
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in International Falls
Ron Hall Memorial Landing
DirectionsCampgrounds in International Falls
Arnold's Campground & RV ParkFee
DirectionsRiverside Court
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Blue Ox Trail1.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
6Tennis
5Basketball
2Football
1Skate park
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).
When to get out
The walking year in International Falls
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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°F) | 16 | 22 | 36 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 66 | 51 | 34 | 21 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
February is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in International Falls →
Next door
International Falls and its neighbors
International Falls has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Falls | 2% | 0.5 | 14 | 92% | B |
| Ranier | — 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 International Falls
Where can I hike in International Falls?
The longest trail networks: Kerry Park, 0.7 miles; Smokey Bear Park, 0.5 miles; International Falls Recreation, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of International Falls 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 International Falls’ trails?
Kerry Park and Smokey Bear Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in International Falls?
2.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near International Falls?
66,587 acres of parks and open public land lie inside International Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 111 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does International Falls have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #184 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 International Falls 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 →