Gale Woods Farm
Managed by Three Rivers Park District
425 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Crane Island Historic District · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Minnetrista
Minnetrista has 711 acres of parks, 82 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Gale Woods Farm (3 mi), Lake Minnetonka Regional Park (2.2 mi), Kingswood Park (1.4 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Minnetrista, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #115 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
629 acres · of 26.1 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
711 ac
82 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Minnetrista?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Minnetrista have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Minnetrista is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #115 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Minnetrista’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land82 acres of park per 1,000 residents (711 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home87% 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 78%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 58%
Water is 16% of Minnetrista’s area (5 of 31 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Gale Woods Farm, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Minnetonka Regional Park
Managed by Three Rivers Park District
293 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Kingswood Park
Park
83 acres1.4 mi of trail
Glacial TrailTamarack Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Six Mile Marsh
Managed by Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
229 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Westonka Recreational Park
Park
36 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Gale Woods Farm425 acres · 3 mi of trail · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsLake Minnetonka Regional Park293 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsKingswood Park83 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Six Mile Marsh229 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Westonka Recreational Park36 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Carver Park Reserve49 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Three Rivers Parks
DirectionsDakota Rail Regional Trail16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKingswood Park Restoration Area51 acres · Three Rivers Park District
Wawatasso Island43 acres · Three Rivers Park District
Merz Marsh Park28 acres
Lisle Park17 acres
DirectionsLinden Park3 acres
Who protects it
629 conserved acres
4% of Minnetrista’s land. Water is left out: Minnetrista has 26.1 square miles of land and 4.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Minnetrista’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city480 ac
Other state land66 ac
State natural resources42 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits31 ac
Joint5 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)4 ac
Local Park · 477 acConservation Easement · 75 acState Conservation Area · 42 acPrivate Conservation · 31 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 75 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gale Woods Reg Park Local Park | Town or city | 374 | Open |
| Carver Highlands Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 42 | Open |
| Westonka Recreational Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Hardscrabble Woods/Mg Tusler Sanctuary Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Unknown |
| Merz Marsh Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Lisle Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Linden Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Chateau Way Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Slow Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Kings Point Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Minnetrista
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Minnetrista
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Minnetrista
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Public pools in Minnetrista
Lake Minnetonka Swim PondIn Lake Minnetonka Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Minnetrista
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Minnetrista
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Minnetrista
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Minnetrista
Covered pavillionIn Linden Park
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.4 mi
Glacial Trail0.8 mi
Tamarack Trail0.5 mi
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
19 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
11Baseball
6Soccer
4Pickleball
3Basketball
1Volleyball
1Football
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Minnetrista
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) | 22 | 27 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Minnetrista →
Next door
Minnetrista and its neighbors
Minnetrista has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Victoria23 miMinnetrista12 miOrono11 miIndependence9.1 miLaketown Township4.9 miWaconia Township1.6 miShorewood1.5 miMound0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnetrista | 4% | 0.5 | 82 | 87% | A− |
| Mound | 4% | under 0.1 | 9 | 99%+ | B− |
| Victoria | 55% | 1.8 | 411 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Independence | 2% | 0.3 | 66 | 15% | B− |
| Laketown Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 22 | 45% | C+ |
| Orono | 7% | 0.7 | 57 | 86% | A |
| Shorewood | 4% | 0.3 | 17 | 88% | B |
| Waconia Township | 3% | 0.1 | 31 | 14% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Minnetrista
Where can I hike in Minnetrista?
The longest trail networks: Gale Woods Farm, 3 miles; Lake Minnetonka Regional Park, 2.2 miles; Kingswood Park, 1.4 miles; Six Mile Marsh, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Minnetrista is conserved land?
4% 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 Minnetrista’s trails?
Gale Woods Farm and Lake Minnetonka Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Minnetrista?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 19 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Minnetrista?
19,403 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Minnetrista or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 711 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Minnetrista have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #115 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 Minnetrista 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 →