Sauk River Regional Park
Park
56 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Markrv at en.wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Sartell
7% of Sartell’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Sauk River Regional Park (0.8 mi). 553 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents. 7% of Sartell’s land is conserved, about 462 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #93 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
462 acres · of 10.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.8 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
553 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 20 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Sartell?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sartell have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sartell is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #93 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sartell’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (553 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home97% 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 83%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 66%
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
The longest trail network is Sauk River Regional Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pinecone Central Park
Managed by City of Sartell
70 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Northside park
Park
38 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Sauk River Regional Park56 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWatab Creek Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPinecone Central Park70 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Sartell
DirectionsNorthside park38 acres
Sartell Community Center35 acres
Val Smith Park12 acres
DirectionsWilds Park11 acres
DirectionsLions Community Park10 acres
DirectionsOrchard Court Park4 acres
Celebration Park2 acres · City of Sartell
DirectionsEastside Kiddie Park2 acres · City of Sartell
Who protects it
462 conserved acres
7% of Sartell’s land. Who manages Sartell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city459 ac
Local Park · 459 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecone Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 204 | Open |
| Pine Cone Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Sauk River Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Northside Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Huntington Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Val Smith Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Avalon Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Watab Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Frangen Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Rolling Meadows North Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Sartell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sartell
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Sartell
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
21Tennis
19Baseball
8Pickleball
7Basketball
5Football
3Soccer
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Sartell
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 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 26 | 39 | 54 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 71 | 56 | 40 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sartell →
Next door
Sartell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sartell | 7% | 0.5 | 28 | 97% | A− |
| Le Sauk Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 48 | 36% | C |
| Sauk Rapids | 4% | 0.8 | 24 | 98% | A− |
| St. Cloud | 5% | 0.4 | 23 | 97% | A− |
| St. Wendel Township | 3% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sartell
Where can I hike in Sartell?
The longest trail networks: Sauk River Regional Park, 0.8 miles; Watab Creek Park, 0.3 miles; Pinecone Central Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sartell is conserved land?
7% 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 Sartell’s trails?
Sauk River Regional Park and Watab Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sartell?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sartell?
3,779 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sartell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 553 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sartell have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #93 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 Sartell 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 →