Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Managed by Washington County Parks
2,444 acres21.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lake Elmo
Lake Elmo has 44 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
2,912 acres are parks and preserves, 222 per 1,000 residents. 20% of Lake Elmo’s land is conserved, about 2,770 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lake Elmo Park Reserve (21.1 mi), Sunfish Lake Park (11.8 mi), Reid Park (3.4 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #17 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,770 acres · of 22.1 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,912 ac
222 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
62 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 42 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
28
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lake Elmo?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lake Elmo have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake Elmo is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #17 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Elmo’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land222 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,912 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 94%
Water is 9% of Lake Elmo’s area (2 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 18%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Lake Elmo Park Reserve, with 21.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sunfish Lake Park
Park
280 acres11.8 mi of trail
Black LoopBlue LoopGreen Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Ridge Park
Managed by City of Lake Elmo
28 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heritage Park
Managed by City of Lake Elmo
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 26 parks & preserves
Lake Elmo Park Reserve2,444 acres · 21.1 mi of trail · Washington County Parks
DirectionsSunfish Lake Park280 acres · 11.8 mi of trail
DirectionsReid Park66 acres · 3.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRidge Park28 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Lake Elmo
Heritage Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Lake Elmo
Pebble Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKleis Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DeMontreville Wildlife Park34 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DirectionsSchlitgen Park28 acres · City of Lake Elmo
Ivywood Park14 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DirectionsTana Ridge Park13 acres · City of Lake Elmo
Legion Avenue Park11 acres
Tablyn Park11 acres
DirectionsGoose Lake Park8 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DirectionsLake Jane Hills Park8 acres
Hidden Knoll Park8 acres
Heights Park7 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DeMontreville Park7 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DirectionsStonegate Park5 acres · City of Lake Elmo
DirectionsCarriage Station Park4 acres
Lions Park4 acres
DirectionsVFW Park4 acres
DirectionsHomestead Park3 acres · City of Lake Elmo
Hammes Park2 acres
Firefly Park2 acres · City of Lake Elmo
Pilot Park2 acres
Who protects it
2,770 conserved acres
20% of Lake Elmo’s land. Water is left out: Lake Elmo has 22.1 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Elmo’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,285 ac
Town or city477 ac
Private owners8 ac
Local Park · 2,651 acOther Easement · 119 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 119 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Elmo Local Park | County | 2,166 | Open |
| Sunfish Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 311 | Open |
| Reid Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Demontreville Wildlife Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Pebble Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Tana Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Tablyn Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Carriage Station Park Local Park | Private owners | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Lake Elmo
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lake Elmo
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lake Elmo
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lake Elmo
Elmo's Pup Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lake Elmo
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Lake Elmo
Fishing pierIn Lake Elmo Park Reserve
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 28 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 20.3 miHorses · 13.7 miUnpaved · 27.8 mi
Black Loop1.9 mi
Blue Loop1.1 mi
Green Loop0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Berschen's PondBeutel's PondClear LakeCrombie PondDeer PondDirk's PondpondDowns LakeDurand's PondpondEagle Point LakeEden Park PondFriedrich's PondpondGoetschel PondlakeGoose LakelakeH. J. Brown PondlakeHedge's BogHedge's PondHorseshoe LakeKlawitter PondKramer LakeLake De MontrevillelakeLake ElmolakeLake JaneLake OlsonLegion PondlakeMargaret LakelakeRose LakelakeSunfish LakeVeronica Pond
Biking & sports
62 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
42 mi
off-road bike paths
20 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Sunfish LakeBike route
4.4 miCourts & fields
16Baseball
14Pickleball
13Tennis
4Basketball
2Volleyball
2Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Lake Elmo
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 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lake Elmo →
Next door
Lake Elmo and its neighbors
Lake Elmo has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lake Elmo44 miOakdale13 miStillwater Township13 miWoodbury9.7 miGrant5.5 miOak Park Heights4.9 miWest Lakeland Township3.2 miBaytown Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Elmo | 20% | 2.0 | 222 | 82% | A+ |
| Oakdale | 4% | 1.2 | 20 | 99% | A |
| Stillwater Township | 11% | 0.9 | 204 | 52% | A− |
| West Lakeland Township | 6% | 0.3 | 51 | 3% | B− |
| Woodbury | 13% | 0.3 | 49 | 99%+ | A |
| Baytown Township | 6% | 0.2 | 54 | 36% | B |
| Grant | 1% | 0.2 | 32 | 37% | C+ |
| Oak Park Heights | 7% | 1.7 | 59 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake Elmo
Where can I hike in Lake Elmo?
The longest trail networks: Lake Elmo Park Reserve, 21.1 miles; Sunfish Lake Park, 11.8 miles; Reid Park, 3.4 miles; Ridge Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lake Elmo is conserved land?
20% 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 Lake Elmo’s trails?
Lake Elmo Park Reserve and Sunfish Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lake Elmo?
62 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes, 42 of off-road paths and 20 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Sunfish Lake.
Is there public land near Lake Elmo?
33,799 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Elmo or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,912 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lake Elmo have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 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 Lake Elmo 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 →