Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
1,157 acres2.3 mi of trail
Minnesota Valley State Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mudbaden Sulphur Springs Company · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Sand Creek Township
Sand Creek Township has 189 acres of parks, 149 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (2.3 mi), Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Thompson Ferry Unit (0.5 mi). 8% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Sand Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 1,307 acres.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,307 acres · of 32.0 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
189 ac
149 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Sand Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sand Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sand Creek Township is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sand Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land149 acres of park per 1,000 residents (189 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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
The longest trail network is Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Thompson Ferry Unit
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
66 acres0.5 mi of trail
Minnesota Valley State Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,307 conserved acres
6% of Sand Creek Township’s land. Who manages Sand Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,302 ac
Other state land156 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 2,302 acConservation Easement · 156 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 156 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,302 | Restricted |
Things to do
1 places to go in Sand Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Sand Creek Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.9 miUnpaved · 4.3 mi
Minnesota Valley State Trail2.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Mudbaden Sulphur Springs CompanyBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Sand Creek 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sand Creek Township →
Next door
Sand Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Louisville Township22 miSt. Lawrence Township15 miSand Creek Township11 miHelena Township4.5 miSpring Lake Township2.9 miSan Francisco Township2.6 miJordan1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Creek Township | 6% | 0.3 | 149 | 8% | B |
| Jordan | 3% | 0.4 | 17 | 99% | B+ |
| San Francisco Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Helena Township | 1% | 0.1 | 152 | 32% | C+ |
| Louisville Township | 15% | 1.5 | 855 | 2% | A− |
| Spring Lake Township | 2% | 0.1 | 89 | 31% | C+ |
| St. Lawrence 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 Sand Creek Township
Where can I hike in Sand Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 2.3 miles; Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Thompson Ferry Unit, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sand Creek Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Sand Creek Township’s trails?
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Thompson Ferry Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sand Creek Township?
15,318 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sand Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 189 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sand Creek Township have?
Ahead of 58% 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 Sand Creek 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 →