Photo: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0Preston has 69 acres of parks, 50 for every 1,000 residents
81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Preston, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Preston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Preston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Preston is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
8 conserved acres
under 1% of Preston’s land. Who manages Preston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Br. Root River State Aquatic Management Area (Fillmore) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 8 | Restricted |
10 places to go in Preston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 lakes & rivers
5.5 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.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Preston
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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 43 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Preston →
Preston and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | under 1% | 0.4 | 50 | 81% | B |
| Preston Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carrolton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carimona Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fountain Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Preston
Where can I hike in Preston?
The longest trail networks: Preston City Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Preston is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Preston’s trails?
Fillmore County Fairgrounds and Preston City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Preston?
5.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Preston?
7,808 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Preston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 69 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Preston have?
Ahead of 59% 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 Preston 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 →