Church of St. Boniface · Photo: Gobonobo · CC BY-SA 3.0Melrose has 41 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Sauk River Park (0.5 mi). 2% of Melrose’s land is conserved, about 39 acres.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #195 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Melrose?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Melrose have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Melrose is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #195 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
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 Sauk River Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Meadowlark Park
39 conserved acres
2% of Melrose’s land. Who manages Melrose’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk River Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Meadowlark Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
10 places to go in Melrose
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 lakes & rivers
3.2 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).
September is the best month for walking in Melrose
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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 20 | 25 | 38 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 56 | 39 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 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 Melrose →
Melrose and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | 2% | 0.3 | 11 | 94% | B |
| Melrose Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Grove 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 Melrose
Where can I hike in Melrose?
The longest trail networks: Sauk River Park, 0.5 miles; Meadowlark Park, 0.2 miles; Utility Plant Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Melrose 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 Melrose’s trails?
Sauk River Park and Meadowlark Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Melrose?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Melrose?
803 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Melrose or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 41 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Melrose have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #195 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 Melrose 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 →