Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park
Nature preserve
2,821 acres17.1 mi of trail
Grant-in-Aid TrailSherman Lake Single-TrackRice Lake Singletrack - 001Rice Lake Singletrack - 002+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Lino Lakes
Lino Lakes has 18 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park (17.1 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Lino Lakes’ land is conserved, about 276 acres.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #176 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
276 acres · of 28.2 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
338 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
46 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 43 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lino Lakes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lino Lakes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lino Lakes is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #176 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 Lino Lakes’ overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (338 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks close to home89% 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 64%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 36%
Water is 15% of Lino Lakes’ area (5 of 33 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
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 Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park, with 17.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor
Nature preserve
108 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
City Hall Park
Managed by City of Lino Lakes
28 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Birchwood Arces Park
Park
26 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 27 parks & preserves
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park2,821 acres · 17.1 mi of trail
DirectionsClearwater Creek Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hidden Spring Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor108 acres
City Hall Park28 acres · City of Lino Lakes
Birchwood Arces Park26 acres
Country Lakes Park25 acres
DirectionsSunrise Park20 acres
Wollan Park17 acres · City of Lino Lakes
Century Farm North Park16 acres
Lino Park7 acres
DirectionsBehm Park6 acres
Watermark Way Park5 acres · City of Lino Lakes
DirectionsBirch Park5 acres
Northpointe Park5 acres
Marshan Park5 acres
Shenandoah Park4 acres
Highland Meadows Park4 acres
Brandywood Park4 acres
Tower Park4 acres
DirectionsPheasant Hills Park3 acres
Woods of Baldwin Lake Park2 acres
Sunset Oaks Park2 acres
Wenzel Farms Park1 acres
Arena Acres Park1 acres · City of Lino Lakes
Watermark Bay Drive Park1 acres · City of Lino Lakes
DirectionsWatermark Balsam Way Green Space1 acres
Who protects it
276 conserved acres
2% of Lino Lakes’ land. Water is left out: Lino Lakes has 28.2 square miles of land and 5.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lino Lakes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city167 ac
County109 ac
Local Park · 276 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor Local Park | County | 109 | Open |
| City Hall Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Country Lakes Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Birchwood Acres Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| South Reshanau Lake Estates Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Anoka County Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Clearwater Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Behm'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Lino Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Lino Lakes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lino Lakes
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lino Lakes
Arena Acres Park PlaygroundIn Arena Acres Park
DirectionsCity Hall Park PlaygroundIn City Hall Park
DirectionsWatermark Bay Drive PlaygroundIn Watermark Bay Drive Park
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Lino Lakes
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lino Lakes
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Lino Lakes
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.2 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Grant-in-Aid Trail1.9 mi
Sherman Lake Single-Track1.7 mi
Rice Lake Singletrack - 0011.3 mi
Rice Lake Singletrack - 0021.2 mi
Sasquatch Highlands0.5 mi
Biking & sports
46 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
43 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Baseball
6Basketball
5Soccer
2Tennis
2Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Lino Lakes
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 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lino Lakes →
Next door
Lino Lakes and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Oaks26 miWhite Bear Township24 miBlaine19 miLino Lakes18 miColumbus13 miCircle Pines2.3 miHugo0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lino Lakes | 2% | 0.6 | 15 | 89% | B |
| Hugo | 6% | under 0.1 | 66 | 89% | B+ |
| Columbus | 6% | 0.3 | 137 | 23% | B |
| Circle Pines | 27% | 1.3 | 63 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Blaine | 4% | 0.6 | 13 | 98% | B+ |
| North Oaks | under 1% | 3.7 | 10 | 70% | B− |
| White Bear Township | 32% | 3.3 | 162 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lino Lakes
Where can I hike in Lino Lakes?
The longest trail networks: Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park, 17.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lino Lakes 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 Lino Lakes’ trails?
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park and Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lino Lakes?
46 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 43 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lino Lakes?
23,188 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lino Lakes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 338 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lino Lakes have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #176 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 Lino Lakes 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 →