Buena Vista State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
916 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lake Bemidji State Park CCC/NYA/Rustic Style Historic Resources · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Northern Township
Northern Township has 1,517 acres of parks, 415 for every 1,000 residents
21% of Northern Township’s land is conserved, about 3,014 acres. 18 miles of mapped trail cross Northern Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Buena Vista State Forest (4.5 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #99 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
3,014 acres · of 22.7 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,517 ac
415 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 5.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Northern Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Northern Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northern Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #99 of 274 in Minnesota. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Northern Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land415 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,517 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 64%
Water is 24% of Northern Township’s area (7 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
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 Buena Vista State Forest, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Movil Maze Recreation Area
Managed by Beltrami County
694 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
3,014 conserved acres
21% of Northern Township’s land. Water is left out: Northern Township has 22.7 square miles of land and 7.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Northern Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,506 ac
State natural resources1,457 ac
State fish & wildlife69 ac
State Park · 1,506 acState Resource Management Area · 1,457 acState Conservation Area · 69 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bemidji State Park State Park | State parks | 1,506 | Open |
| Buena Vista State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 912 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 545 | Open |
| Bemidji Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Beltrami) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 69 | Restricted |
Things to do
14 places to go in Northern Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Northern Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Northern Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Northern Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Northern Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Northern Township
Trails & water
6 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 11.2 mi
Old Logging3.3 mi
Pinewood2.1 mi
Balsam0.6 mi
Homestead0.5 mi
Bog Walk0.4 mi
Winnie Lane Northeast0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.6 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Equestrian
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Lake Bemidji State Park CCC/NYA/Rustic Style Historic ResourcesDistrict · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Northern 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 17 | 23 | 36 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 68 | 52 | 35 | 22 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Northern Township →
Next door
Northern Township and its neighbors
Northern Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Northern Township18 miBemidji18 miTurtle River Township18 miEckles Township12 miGrant Valley Township11 miTurtle Lake Township5.6 miFrohn Township3.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Township | 21% | 0.8 | 415 | 21% | A− |
| Bemidji | 6% | 1.1 | 20 | 93% | A− |
| Turtle River Township | 7% | 0.6 | 49 | 17% | B |
| Eckles Township | 9% | 0.4 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Turtle Lake Township | 18% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Frohn Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Grant Valley Township | 11% | 0.3 | 2 | 2% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Northern Township
Where can I hike in Northern Township?
The longest trail networks: Buena Vista State Forest, 4.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northern Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Northern Township’s trails?
Buena Vista State Forest and Movil Maze Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Northern Township?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 5.6 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Northern Township?
40,202 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northern Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,972 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northern Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #99 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 Northern 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 →