Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
11,386 acres31.7 mi of trail
Glacial Ridge TrailLandmark TrailTouch the Earth Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Bridge No. 3355-Kathio Township · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kathio Township
Kathio Township has 9,659 acres of parks, 6,783 for every 1,000 residents
48% of Kathio Township’s land is conserved, about 12,986 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mille Lacs Kathio State Park (31.7 mi). 33 miles of mapped trail cross Kathio Township, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
48%
12,986 acres · of 42.5 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
9,659 ac
6,783 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Kathio Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kathio Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kathio Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kathio Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land48% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land6,783 acres of park per 1,000 residents (9,659 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home8% 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 83%
LessMore
Water is 41% of Kathio Township’s area (30 of 73 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 28%.
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 Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, with 31.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rum River State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
3,211 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
White Fish Lake Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
57 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
12,986 conserved acres
48% of Kathio Township’s land. Water is left out: Kathio Township has 42.5 square miles of land and 30.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Kathio Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks9,589 ac
State natural resources3,263 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service95 ac
State fish & wildlife57 ac
State Park · 9,589 acState Resource Management Area · 3,263 acConservation Easement · 95 acState Conservation Area · 57 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 95 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs Kathio State Park State Park | State parks | 9,589 | Open |
| Rum River State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,187 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 76 | Open |
| White Fish Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 57 | Restricted |
Things to do
11 places to go in Kathio Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kathio Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Kathio Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Kathio Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Kathio Township
Mille Lacs Kathio State ParkFee · In Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
DirectionsOgechie CampgroundIn Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
DirectionsPetaga CampgroundFee · In Mille Lacs Kathio State Park · Minnesota DNR
DirectionsRum River Group CampIn Mille Lacs Kathio State Park · Minnesota DNR
DirectionsPlus 3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 15.3 miUnpaved · 26.6 mi
Glacial Ridge Trail1.4 mi
Landmark Trail1.0 mi
Touch the Earth Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bridge No. 3355-Kathio TownshipStructure · listed 1998
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Kathio 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 26 | 38 | 53 | 66 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 69 | 55 | 38 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Kathio Township →
Next door
Kathio Township and its neighbors
Kathio Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kathio Township33 miSouth Harbor Township12 miBradbury Township8.3 miRoosevelt Township3.6 miHazelton Township1.3 miVineland0.8 miRichardson Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathio Township | 48% | 0.8 | 6,783 | 8% | A− |
| Roosevelt Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Vineland | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Harbor Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Richardson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bradbury Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hazelton 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 Kathio Township
Where can I hike in Kathio Township?
The longest trail networks: Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, 31.7 miles; Rum River State Forest, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kathio Township is conserved land?
48% 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 Kathio Township’s trails?
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park and Rum River State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kathio Township?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Kathio Township?
27,476 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kathio Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12,945 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kathio Township have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Kathio 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 →