John C. Nutting House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Northfield has 25 miles of mapped trails, 2.9 for every square mile of land
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 14% of Northfield’s land is conserved, about 765 acres. 848 acres are parks and preserves, 41 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #13 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Northfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Northfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northfield is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #13 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Sechler Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Creek Park & Playground
Hauberg Woods
Meadows Park
Spring Creek Nature Area
Heywood Park
All 40 parks & preserves
765 conserved acres
14% of Northfield’s land. Who manages Northfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowling - Lower Arboretum Local Conservation Area | Other state land | 149 | Open |
| Cowling - Upper Arboretum Local Conservation Area | Other state land | 117 | Open |
| Sechler Park Local Park | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Spring Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 82 | Open |
| Hauberg Woods Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Meadows Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Babcock Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Campostella Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Greenvale Park Elementary Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
71 places to go in Northfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
39 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
20 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 5 community gardens without a name on the map.
9 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
37 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
14 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
2 more on the History page.
The walking year in Northfield
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 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Northfield →
Northfield and its neighbors
Northfield has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield | 14% | 2.9 | 41 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Bridgewater Township | 2% | 0.3 | 1 | 21% | C− |
| Northfield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greenvale Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Waterford Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dundas | 5% | 1.0 | 14 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Northfield
Where can I hike in Northfield?
The longest trail networks: Sechler Park, 1.2 miles; Spring Creek Park & Playground, 1.1 miles; Lashbrook Park, 1 miles; Hauberg Woods, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northfield is conserved land?
14% 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 Northfield’s trails?
Sechler Park and Spring Creek Park & Playground don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Northfield?
37 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.3 of painted or protected lanes, 28 of off-road paths and 0.6 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Mill Towns State Trail.
Is there public land near Northfield?
4,079 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 848 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Northfield have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #13 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 Northfield neighbors.
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 →