Spirit Prairie Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
170 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Paynesville Township
Paynesville Township has 59 acres of parks, 38 for every 1,000 residents
0.8 miles of mapped trail cross Paynesville Township. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Paynesville Township’s land is conserved, about 702 acres.
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
702 acres · of 29.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
59 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
2.4 mi lanes · 8.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Paynesville Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Paynesville Township is ahead of 37% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Paynesville Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (59 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks 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 37%
LessMore
Water is 14% of Paynesville Township’s area (5 of 34 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Partners Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
76 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Paynesville Sportsmens Club Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
68 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Kronis Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Paynesville
Spirit Prairie Wildlife Management Area170 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPartners Wildlife Management Area76 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPaynesville Sportsmens Club Wildlife Management Area68 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Lake Koronis Regional Park43 acres
Who protects it
702 conserved acres
4% of Paynesville Township’s land. Water is left out: Paynesville Township has 29.0 square miles of land and 4.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Paynesville Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service495 ac
State fish & wildlife326 ac
State natural resources40 ac
State Conservation Area · 326 acConservation Easement · 315 acResource Management Area · 180 acState Resource Management Area · 40 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 238 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Prairie State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 180 | Restricted |
| Stearns County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 180 | Restricted |
| Partners State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 76 | Restricted |
| Paynesville Sportsmens Club State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 69 | Restricted |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 40 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Paynesville Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Paynesville Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Paynesville Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Paynesville Township
Sandy Point ParkFee
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Lake Koronis Recreational Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.8 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
When to get out
The walking year in Paynesville 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) | 21 | 26 | 39 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Paynesville Township →
Next door
Paynesville Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Munson Township1.1 miUnion Grove Township0.9 miPaynesville Township0.8 miRoseville Township0.5 miZion Township0.3 miEden Lake Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paynesville Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 38 | 21% | C+ |
| Eden Lake Township | 4% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Union Grove Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Roseville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Zion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Munson Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 9% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Paynesville Township
How much of Paynesville Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Paynesville Township’s trails?
Spirit Prairie Wildlife Management Area and Partners Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Paynesville Township?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes, 8.8 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Paynesville Township?
536 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Paynesville Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 99 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Paynesville Township have?
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Paynesville 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 →