Memorial Park
Park
345 acres12.2 mi of trail
Lay Down Sally2112Black BettyWelcome to the Jungle+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Red Wing Waterworks · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Red Wing
13% of Red Wing’s land is conserved: 2,985 acres
963 acres are parks and preserves, 57 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Memorial Park (12.2 mi), Ḣe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff (2.3 mi), Colvill Park (0.8 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #54 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,985 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
963 ac
57 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
4.8 mi lanes · 19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
20
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Red Wing?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Red Wing have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Red Wing is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #54 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Red Wing’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land57 acres of park per 1,000 residents (963 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home90% 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 90%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 81%
Water is 16% of Red Wing’s area (7 of 41 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Memorial Park, with 12.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ḣe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff
Park
68 acres2.3 mi of trail
Prairie TrailSouth TrailQuarry TrailNorth Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1,848 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Memorial Park345 acres · 12.2 mi of trail
DirectionsḢe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff68 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsColvill Park40 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsA. P. Anderson Park40 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest1,848 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLevee Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCannon River Turtle Preserve SNA284 acres
DirectionsGores Pool #3 Wildlife Management Area259 acres
Anderson Center Sculpture Garden19 acres
DirectionsBay Point Park17 acres
DirectionsPine Ridge Park14 acres
Espen Island Wildlife Management Area13 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Central Park2 acres · City of Red Wing
DirectionsSouth Park1 acres
John Rich Park1 acres · City of Red Wing
DirectionsWho protects it
2,985 conserved acres
13% of Red Wing’s land. Water is left out: Red Wing has 34.8 square miles of land and 6.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Red Wing’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,130 ac
Town or city837 ac
State fish & wildlife13 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits12 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,903 acLocal Park · 722 acState Conservation Area · 240 acLocal Conservation Area · 91 acLocal Recreation Area · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,903 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 308 | Open |
| Spring Creek Prairie State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 140 | Restricted |
| Billings Tomfohr Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 91 | Open |
| Cannon River Turtle Preserve State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 87 | Restricted |
| Colvill Park Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Pottery Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Barn Bluff Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Hay Creek Bikepath Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Anderson Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Red Wing
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Red Wing
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Red Wing
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Red Wing
Carlson KilnIn Ḣe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Red Wing
Prairie Island Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 20 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.9 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
Prairie Trail0.6 mi
South Trail0.5 mi
Quarry Trail0.5 mi
Lay Down Sally0.5 mi
Black Betty0.5 mi
21120.5 mi
Welcome to the Jungle0.3 mi
My Ding-A-Ling0.3 mi
North Trail0.3 mi
Midland Trail0.3 mi
2 more trails
Stairway to Heaven
0.2 miPrairie Connector Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
19 mi
off-road bike paths
1.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Southern CrossBike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
21Baseball
17Tennis
8Soccer
5Tracks
3Football
3Softball
3Basketball
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →24 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Minnesota State Training SchoolBuilding · listed 1973
About itJames L. Lawther HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itE. S. Hoyt HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itSheldon, T. B., Memorial AuditoriumBuilding · listed 1976
About itTheodore B. Sheldon HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itCarlson, G. A., Lime KilnStructure · listed 1976
About itAlexander P. Anderson Estate-Tower ViewBuilding · listed 1977
About itSt. James HotelBuilding · listed 1977
About itGladstone BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itKappel Wagon WorksBuilding · listed 1979
About itKeystone BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itPratt-Tabor HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About it12 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Red Wing
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Red Wing →
Next door
Red Wing and its neighbors
Red Wing has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Red Wing23 miFeatherstone Township11 miHay Creek Township5.4 miWelch Township2.4 miDiamond Bluff2.0 miTrenton1.6 miIsabelle0.3 miWacouta Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Wing | 13% | 0.7 | 57 | 90% | A |
| Wacouta Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hay Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Featherstone Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Welch 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 Red Wing
Where can I hike in Red Wing?
The longest trail networks: Memorial Park, 12.2 miles; Ḣe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff, 2.3 miles; Colvill Park, 0.8 miles; A. P. Anderson Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Red Wing is conserved land?
13% 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 Red Wing’s trails?
Memorial Park and Ḣe Mni C̣aƞ - Barn Bluff don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Red Wing?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.8 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Southern Cross.
Is there public land near Red Wing?
13,730 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Red Wing or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,766 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Red Wing have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #54 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 Red Wing 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 →