Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1,071 acres2.2 mi of trail
Platte River TrailSoo Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Little Falls Township
8% of Little Falls Township’s land is conserved: 1,684 acres
The biggest trail networks: Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (2.2 mi). 2 acres are parks and preserves, 0.9 per 1,000 residents. 12% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 22% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,684 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2 ac
0.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
12%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
9
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Little Falls Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Little Falls Township is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Little Falls Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4CPark land0.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home12% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 22%
LessMore
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Little Falls Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. 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 Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Popple Lake Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
217 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Skunk Lake West Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
111 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Skunk Lake East Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
104 acres0.2 mi of trail
Soo Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge1,071 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsRice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Skunk Lake East Unit104 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPopple Lake Wildlife Management Area217 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Rice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Skunk Lake West Unit111 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Rice Lake Unit85 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsRice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Platte River 40 Unit38 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Charles A. Lindbergh State Park3 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
1,684 conserved acres
8% of Little Falls Township’s land. Who manages Little Falls Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,142 ac
State fish & wildlife556 ac
Other state land57 ac
State parks2 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,142 acState Conservation Area · 556 acConservation Easement · 57 acState Park · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,142 | Restricted |
| Rice-Skunk State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 338 | Restricted |
| Popple Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 217 | Restricted |
| Charles A. Lindbergh State Park State Park | State parks | 2 | Open |
Trails & water
2 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miUnpaved · 1.4 mi
Platte River Trail1.4 mi
Soo Line Trail1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Little Falls 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 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 26 | 39 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 70 | 56 | 39 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Little Falls Township →
Next door
Little Falls Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bellevue Township7.2 miAgram Township5.0 miLittle Falls4.1 miLittle Falls Township3.3 miBelle Prairie Township1.3 miSwan River Township1.0 miPike Creek Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Falls Township | 8% | 0.1 | 1 | 12% | C− |
| Little Falls | 8% | 0.5 | 52 | 91% | A |
| Bellevue Township | 3% | 0.2 | under 1 | 4% | C− |
| Pike Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Swan River Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Belle Prairie Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Agram 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 Little Falls Township
Where can I hike in Little Falls Township?
The longest trail networks: Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 2.2 miles; Rice-Skunk Wildlife Management Area, Skunk Lake East Unit, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Little Falls Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Little Falls Township’s trails?
Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Popple Lake Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Little Falls Township?
1,196 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Little Falls Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Little Falls Township have?
Ahead of 22% 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 Little Falls 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 →