Birchdale Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
265 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Ross Lake Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Ross Lake Township
6% of Ross Lake Township’s land is conserved, about 1,304 acres. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Ross Lake Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
6%
1,304 acres · of 33.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
12
1 boat launch
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.
Upper Dean Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
41 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,304 conserved acres
6% of Ross Lake Township’s land. Water is left out: Ross Lake Township has 33.4 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ross Lake Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources985 ac
State fish & wildlife318 ac
State Resource Management Area · 985 acState Conservation Area · 318 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 985 | Open |
| Birchdale State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 264 | Restricted |
| Upper Dean State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 41 | Restricted |
| Rogers Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Crow Wing) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 14 | Restricted |
Things to do
1 places to go in Ross Lake Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Ross Lake Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
12 lakes & rivers
When to get out
The walking year in Ross Lake 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 19 | 25 | 38 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 77 | 69 | 54 | 38 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ross Lake Township →
Next door
Ross Lake Township and its neighbors
Ross Lake Township has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Little Pine Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fairfield 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 Ross Lake Township
Are dogs allowed on Ross Lake Township’s trails?
Birchdale Wildlife Management Area and Upper Dean Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ross Lake Township?
47,553 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ross Lake Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 988 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ross Lake 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 →