Big Marine Park Reserve
Nature preserve
196 acres0.3 mi of trail
Blue LoopGreen Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in May Township
May Township has 79 acres of parks, 30 for every 1,000 residents
0.9 miles of mapped trail cross May Township. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of May Township’s land is conserved, about 1,265 acres.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns · #238 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,265 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
79 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
2.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
21
2 beaches · 8 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does May Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, May Township is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns, #238 of 274 in Minnesota. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of May Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (79 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home21% 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 39%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 13%
Water is 10% of May Township’s area (4 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. 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 Big Marine Park Reserve, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1,578 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Managed by National Park Service
218 acres
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Big Marine Park Reserve196 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKeystone Woods Wildlife Management Area1,578 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway218 acres · National Park Service
Square Lake26 acres
DirectionsTown Hall Park12 acres · May Township
DirectionsWilliam O'Brien State Park4 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
1,265 conserved acres
6% of May Township’s land. Water is left out: May Township has 34.1 square miles of land and 3.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages May Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,156 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land705 ac
County105 ac
Bureau of Land Management4 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,604 acWild and Scenic River · 257 acRecreation or Education Easement · 41 acLocal Recreation Area · 34 acLocal Park · 26 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 940 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 257 | Open |
| Big Marine Park Reserve Local Recreation Area | County | 39 | Open |
| Square Lake Regional Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Northeastern States District Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 4 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in May Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in May Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in May Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in May Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in May Township
8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in May Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 21 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Blue Loop0.2 mi
Green Loop0.1 mi
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
off-road bike paths
21 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Soccer
2Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in May 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) | 9.1 | 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 | 71 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in May Township →
Next door
May Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Scandia14 miStillwater Township13 miMarine on St. Croix11 miMay Township0.9 miHugo0.9 miSomerset0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 30 | 21% | C+ |
| Hugo | 6% | under 0.1 | 66 | 89% | B+ |
| Stillwater Township | 11% | 0.9 | 204 | 52% | A− |
| Marine on St. Croix | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Scandia | 11% | 0.4 | 316 | 26% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in May Township
Where can I hike in May Township?
The longest trail networks: Big Marine Park Reserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of May Township is conserved land?
6% 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 May Township’s trails?
Big Marine Park Reserve and Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in May Township?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of off-road paths and 21 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near May Township?
20,416 acres of parks and open public land lie inside May Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 304 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does May Township have?
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #238 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 May 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 →