Sand Dunes State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
5,767 acres19.3 mi of trail
Dunes State Forest - Blue Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Orrock Township
More than half of Orrock Township’s land is conserved: 65%
65% of Orrock Township’s land is conserved, about 14,536 acres. 32 miles of mapped trail cross Orrock Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Sand Dunes State Forest (19.3 mi), Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge (7.9 mi), Uncas Dunes SNA (3.3 mi).
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns · #231 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
65%
14,536 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Orrock Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Orrock Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orrock Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns, #231 of 274 in Minnesota. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Orrock Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land65% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 43%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 16%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. 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 Sand Dunes State Forest, with 19.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
8,729 acres7.9 mi of trail
Prairie Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Uncas Dunes SNA
Nature preserve
606 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
14,536 conserved acres
65% of Orrock Township’s land. Who manages Orrock Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service17,461 ac
State natural resources5,816 ac
State fish & wildlife24 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 17,461 acState Resource Management Area · 5,769 acState Conservation Area · 71 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 17,461 | Restricted |
| Sand Dunes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 5,769 | Open |
| Uncas Dunes State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 47 | Restricted |
| Eagle Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Sherburne) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 24 | Restricted |
Things to do
7 places to go in Orrock Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Orrock Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Orrock Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Orrock Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Orrock Township
Ann Lake CampgroundFee · In Sand Dunes State Forest · Mn Dept of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 29.2 mi
Dunes State Forest - Blue Loop0.7 mi
Prairie Trail0.5 mi
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The walking year in Orrock 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Orrock Township →
Next door
Orrock Township and its neighbors
Orrock Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Orrock Township32 miBecker Township18 miBlue Hill Township16 miLivonia Township3.4 miBig Lake Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orrock Township | 65% | 0.9 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Big Lake Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 18% | D |
| Livonia Township | 1% | 0.1 | 26 | 12% | C |
| Becker Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Blue Hill Township | 64% | 0.5 | 1 | 4% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Orrock Township
Where can I hike in Orrock Township?
The longest trail networks: Sand Dunes State Forest, 19.3 miles; Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, 7.9 miles; Uncas Dunes SNA, 3.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orrock Township is conserved land?
65% 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 Orrock Township’s trails?
Sand Dunes State Forest and Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Orrock Township?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Orrock Township?
9,533 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orrock Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,150 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Orrock Township have?
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #231 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 Orrock 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 →