Fort Snelling State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
840 acres4.3 mi of trail
Mendota Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Mendota Heights
18% of Mendota Heights’ land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
18% of Mendota Heights’ land is conserved, about 1,064 acres. 963 acres are parks and preserves, 83 per 1,000 residents. 8.3 miles of mapped trail cross Mendota Heights, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #21 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,064 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
8.3 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
963 ac
83 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
33 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 31 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Mendota Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mendota Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mendota Heights is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #21 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mendota Heights’ overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land83 acres of park per 1,000 residents (963 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 93%
Water is 10% of Mendota Heights’ area (1 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Fort Snelling State Park, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dodge Nature Center
Nature preserve
163 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pilot Knob Preservation Site
Nature preserve
25 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Copperfield Ponds Park
Park
31 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Fort Snelling State Park840 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsDodge Nature Center163 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
Pilot Knob Preservation Site25 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCopperfield Ponds Park31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Mendakota Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKensington Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Friendly Marsh Park46 acres
Rogers Lake Park28 acres
DirectionsWentworth Park25 acres
Friendly Hills Park16 acres
Ivy Hills Park12 acres
Marie Park8 acres
Victoria Highland Park7 acres
DirectionsHagstrom King Park6 acres
DirectionsLilydale-Harriet Island Park5 acres
DirectionsValley Park4 acres
DirectionsPark Place Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,064 conserved acres
18% of Mendota Heights’ land. Water is left out: Mendota Heights has 9.1 square miles of land and 1.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mendota Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks707 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits193 ac
County182 ac
Town or city131 ac
State Park · 707 acLocal Park · 324 acRecreation or Education Easement · 158 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Snelling State Park State Park | State parks | 707 | Open |
| Friendly Marsh Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 193 | Open |
| Copperfield Ponds Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Mendakota Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Friendly Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Rogers Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Ivy Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Wentworth Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Kensington Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Victoria Highlands Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Mendota Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Mendota Heights
Eagle Ridge Summit Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Mendota Heights
Wentworth Park PlaygroundIn Wentworth Park
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Mendota Heights
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Mendota Heights
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Mendota Heights
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Mendota Heights
Pilot Knob
DirectionsPicnic areas in Mendota Heights
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.6 miUnpaved · 6.5 mi
Mendota Trail2.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
33 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
31 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
31Tennis
24Baseball
14Soccer
6Basketball
4Softball
4Tracks
2Football
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Mendota Heights
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 | 10.4 | 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 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mendota Heights →
Next door
Mendota Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendota Heights | 18% | 0.9 | 83 | 97% | A+ |
| Lilydale | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mendota | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Eagan | 22% | 1.6 | 64 | 99%+ | A+ |
| St. Paul | 16% | 1.8 | 22 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Bloomington | 23% | 1.3 | 40 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mendota Heights
Where can I hike in Mendota Heights?
The longest trail networks: Fort Snelling State Park, 4.3 miles; Dodge Nature Center, 2.4 miles; Pilot Knob Preservation Site, 0.5 miles; Copperfield Ponds Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mendota Heights is conserved land?
18% 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 Mendota Heights’ trails?
Fort Snelling State Park and Dodge Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mendota Heights?
33 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes and 31 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mendota Heights?
38,694 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mendota Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 963 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mendota Heights have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 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 Mendota Heights 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 →