Southwood Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
25 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in North St. Paul
9% of North St. Paul’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 3.4 miles of mapped trail cross North St. Paul, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Southwood Nature Preserve (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #49 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
169 acres · of 2.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
192 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
0.9 mi lanes · 5.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is North St. Paul?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North St. Paul have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North St. Paul is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #49 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North St. Paul’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (192 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 82%
Water is 5% of North St. Paul’s area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Southwood Nature Preserve, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northwood Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Southwood Nature Preserve25 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Tower Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCasey Lake Park28 acres
DirectionsSilver Lake Park6 acres
DirectionsNorthwood Park5 acres
Rotary Park4 acres
DirectionsHause Park2 acres
Polar Park2 acres
Dorothy Park1 acres
Who protects it
169 conserved acres
9% of North St. Paul’s land. Water is left out: North St. Paul has 2.9 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North St. Paul’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city168 ac
Local Park · 168 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Urban Ecology Enviromental Learning Center Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Southwood Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Mcknight Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| North St. Paul Postal Credit Union Pond Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Silver Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Northwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Tower Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Joy Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Polar Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in North St. Paul
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North St. Paul
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in North St. Paul
Janie's PlaygroundIn Casey Lake Park
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in North St. Paul
Silver Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Tennis
7Baseball
5Softball
2Soccer
2Football
2Pickleball
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in North St. Paul
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 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 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 North St. Paul →
Next door
North St. Paul and its neighbors
North St. Paul has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North St. Paul | 9% | 1.2 | 15 | 99%+ | A |
| Maplewood | 16% | 0.8 | 54 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North St. Paul
Where can I hike in North St. Paul?
The longest trail networks: Southwood Nature Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North St. Paul is conserved land?
9% 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 North St. Paul’s trails?
Southwood Nature Preserve and Casey Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North St. Paul?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes, 5.1 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near North St. Paul?
27,389 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North St. Paul or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 192 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North St. Paul have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #49 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 North St. Paul 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 →