Wood-Rill SNA
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
207 acres3.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Widgetkid · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Orono
Orono has 471 acres of parks, 57 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wood-Rill SNA (3.6 mi), Baker Park Reserve (1 mi), Wolsfeld Woods SNA (0.8 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross Orono, 0.7 per square mile of land. 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #79 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
665 acres · of 15.9 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
471 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
18 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
18
4 beaches · 10 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Orono?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Orono have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orono is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #79 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 Orono’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land57 acres of park per 1,000 residents (471 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home86% 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 85%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 71%
Water is 34% of Orono’s area (8 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Wood-Rill SNA, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wolsfeld Woods SNA
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
40 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Big Island Nature Park
Nature preserve
60 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Highwood Park
Managed by City of Orono
16 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Wood-Rill SNA207 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsBaker Park Reserve282 acres · 1 mi of trail
Wolsfeld Woods SNA40 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Big Island Nature Park60 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Highwood Park16 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Orono
DirectionsNoerenberg Gardens75 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Three Rivers Park District
DirectionsArthur Allen Wildlife Sanctuary63 acres · Three Rivers Park District
Ferndale Marsh22 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Orono Baseball Fields14 acres
DirectionsCasco Point Park9 acres
Bederwood Park7 acres
DirectionsSummit Beach Park5 acres · City of Orono
DirectionsHackberry Park4 acres
Seven Nations Park3 acres
Antoine Park1 acres
Pleasant View1 acres · City of Orono
Navarre Playground1 acres · City of Orono
Lydiard Beach1 acres · City of Orono
Who protects it
665 conserved acres
7% of Orono’s land. Water is left out: Orono has 15.9 square miles of land and 8.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Orono’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency196 ac
State natural resources187 ac
Town or city133 ac
County84 ac
Other state land23 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits21 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government10 ac
Local Park · 409 acState Conservation Area · 191 acPrivate Conservation · 21 acState Park · 19 acLocal Recreation Area · 15 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood-Rill State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 146 | Restricted |
| Big Island Nature Park (Big Island) Local Park | Regional agency | 119 | Open |
| Luce Line Trail (Dnr Trail) Local Park | County | 82 | Open |
| Noerenberg Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 78 | Open |
| Wolsfeld Woods State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 41 | Restricted |
| French Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Saga Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Susan E. Lurton Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Ferndale Marsh Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Unknown |
| Luce Line Trail State Park | Other state land | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Orono
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Orono
Casco Point BeachIn Casco Point Beach
DirectionsLydiard BeachIn Lydiard Beach
DirectionsPoint Charming BeachIn Big Island Nature Park
DirectionsSandy Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Orono
Roberta Lee Antoine PlaygroundIn Antoine Park
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Orono
Susan E. Lurton Nature and Off-Leash Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Orono
Maxwell Bay Public Water Access Site
DirectionsNorth Arm Boat Landing
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Orono
Big IslandHours: Open 24 hours · In Big Island Nature Park
DirectionsTrails & water
18 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
18 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Tennis
10Baseball
6Soccer
4Basketball
3Football
2Softball
1Lacrosse
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).
Noerenberg Estate BarnBuilding · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Orono
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 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Orono →
Next door
Orono and its neighbors
Orono has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Medina22 miOrono11 miShorewood1.5 miWayzata1.3 miVillage of Minnetonka Beach0.5 miTonka Bay0.2 miMound0.1 miSpring Park0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orono | 7% | 0.7 | 57 | 86% | A |
| Wayzata | 4% | 0.4 | 18 | 96% | B+ |
| Spring Park | 9% | under 0.1 | 11 | 99%+ | B |
| Village of Minnetonka Beach | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Medina | 19% | 0.9 | 418 | 88% | A+ |
| Tonka Bay | 5% | 0.2 | 26 | 99%+ | A− |
| Mound | 4% | under 0.1 | 9 | 99%+ | B− |
| Shorewood | 4% | 0.3 | 17 | 88% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Orono
Where can I hike in Orono?
The longest trail networks: Wood-Rill SNA, 3.6 miles; Baker Park Reserve, 1 miles; Wolsfeld Woods SNA, 0.8 miles; Big Island Nature Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orono is conserved land?
7% 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 Orono’s trails?
Wood-Rill SNA and Baker Park Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Orono?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Orono?
26,676 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orono or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 471 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Orono have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #79 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 Orono 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 →