Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, North Star Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
436 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Grika at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Nicollet Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Nicollet Township
4% of Nicollet Township’s land is conserved, about 834 acres. 0.9 miles of mapped trail cross Nicollet Township. 3% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Conserved land
4%
834 acres · of 32.8 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Bay Main Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
162 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Bay North Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Creek Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, North Star Unit436 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSwan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Bay Main Unit162 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSwan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Bay North Unit18 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Creek Unit8 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minneopa State Park2 acres
Who protects it
834 conserved acres
4% of Nicollet Township’s land. Who manages Nicollet Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife652 ac
Other state land182 ac
State Conservation Area · 652 acConservation Easement · 182 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 182 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Lake State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 652 | Restricted |
Things to do
1 places to go in Nicollet Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Nicollet Township
Swan Lake Fall
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Township Road 1660.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The walking year in Nicollet 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Nicollet Township →
Next door
Nicollet Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Belgrade Township9.7 miCourtland Township2.1 miCambria Township1.1 miJudson Township1.0 miNicollet Township0.9 miGranby Township0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicollet Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Judson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Belgrade Township | 4% | 0.3 | 428 | 13% | B |
| Granby Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cambria Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Courtland 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 Nicollet Township
Are dogs allowed on Nicollet Township’s trails?
Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, North Star Unit and Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area, Nicollet Bay Main Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Nicollet Township?
4,701 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nicollet Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Nicollet 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 →