Pioneer Park
Managed by City of Princeton, Minnesota
56 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Princeton
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Princeton
3.6 miles of mapped trail cross Princeton, 0.7 per square mile of land. 126 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents. 2% of Princeton’s land is conserved, about 70 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #132 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
70 acres · of 5.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.6 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
126 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
6.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Princeton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Princeton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #132 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Princeton’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (126 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 52%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
River side Park
Park
7 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rainbow Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
70 conserved acres
2% of Princeton’s land. Who manages Princeton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city70 ac
Local Park · 44 acLocal Recreation Area · 26 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Rieve Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Rainbow Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Civic Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Princeton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Princeton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Princeton
Riverside City Park CampgroundIn River side Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
4th Avenue South0.2 mi
120th Street Northwest0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
8Baseball
4Softball
2Football
2Soccer
1Volleyball
1Disc golf
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Princeton
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 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 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 Princeton →
Next door
Princeton and its neighbors
Princeton has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 2% | 0.7 | 24 | 96% | A− |
| Princeton Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 12% | D |
| Baldwin | under 1% | 0.1 | 11 | 5% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Princeton
Where can I hike in Princeton?
The longest trail networks: Mark Park, 0.1 miles; River side Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Princeton is conserved land?
2% 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 Princeton’s trails?
Pioneer Park and Mark Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Princeton?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Princeton?
3,183 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Princeton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 126 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #132 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 Princeton 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 →