Photo: Allmightyduck · CC BY-SA 3.07% of Lakeville’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Ritter Farm Park (9.3 mi), Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (0.6 mi), Antlers Park (0.5 mi). 27 miles of mapped trail cross Lakeville, 0.7 per square mile of land. 7% of Lakeville’s land is conserved, about 1,672 acres.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #67 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Lakeville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Lakeville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lakeville is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #67 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 Ritter Farm Park, with 9.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
Legacy Park
All 69 parks & preserves
1,672 conserved acres
7% of Lakeville’s land. Who manages Lakeville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritter Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 314 | Open |
| Dakota County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 149 | Restricted |
| Foxborough Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Michaud Park Cons. Area Local Park | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| East Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| King Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Aronson Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Casperson Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Steve Michaud Park Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Valley Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
110 places to go in Lakeville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
98 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
4 community gardens without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
169 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 map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in Lakeville
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lakeville →
Lakeville and its neighbors
Lakeville has the second most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeville | 7% | 0.7 | 25 | 99% | A |
| Eureka Township | 5% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Farmington | 7% | 0.3 | 33 | 99% | A− |
| Credit River | 18% | 1.0 | 488 | 35% | A |
| Apple Valley | 13% | 1.1 | 20 | 99%+ | A |
| Burnsville | 12% | 0.9 | 33 | 99%+ | A |
| Empire | 20% | 1.0 | 165 | 82% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lakeville
Where can I hike in Lakeville?
The longest trail networks: Ritter Farm Park, 9.3 miles; Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, 0.6 miles; Antlers Park, 0.5 miles; King Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lakeville is conserved land?
7% 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 Lakeville’s trails?
Ritter Farm Park and Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lakeville?
169 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 167 of off-road paths and 2.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lakeville?
23,780 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lakeville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,823 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lakeville have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #67 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 Lakeville 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 →