Chippewa National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
17,215 acres24.3 mi of trail
North Country TrailLake Alice Road Northwest45th Ave NorthwestNational Forest Road 752+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Chase Hotel · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Shingobee Township
More than half of Shingobee Township’s land is conserved: 51%
51% of Shingobee Township’s land is conserved, about 17,123 acres. 57 miles of mapped trail cross Shingobee Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Chippewa National Forest (24.3 mi), County 50 Hunter Walking Trails (7.1 mi), Shingobee Recreation Area (6.1 mi).
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
51%
17,123 acres · of 52.0 sq mi of land
Trails
57 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 26 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
33
1 beach · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Shingobee Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shingobee Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shingobee Township is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shingobee Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land51% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (57 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land0.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13DParks close to home1% 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 48%
LessMore
Water is 26% of Shingobee Township’s area (18 of 70 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 38%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. 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 Chippewa National Forest, with 24.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
County 50 Hunter Walking Trails
Managed by United States Forest Service
927 acres7.1 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Shingobee Recreation Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
522 acres6.1 mi of trail
North Country TrailShingobee Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Paul Bunyan State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Chippewa National Forest17,215 acres · 24.3 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsCounty 50 Hunter Walking Trails927 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsShingobee Recreation Area522 acres · 6.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsPaul Bunyan State Forest21 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Foothills State Forest16 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Foot Hills State Forest5 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Walker City Park1 acres · City of Walker
DirectionsWho protects it
17,123 conserved acres
51% of Shingobee Township’s land. Water is left out: Shingobee Township has 52.0 square miles of land and 18.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Shingobee Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service16,023 ac
State natural resources1,086 ac
State fish & wildlife53 ac
National Forest · 16,023 acState Resource Management Area · 1,086 acState Conservation Area · 53 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 16,023 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,061 | Open |
| Paul Bunyan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 21 | Open |
| Howard Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 20 | Restricted |
| Long Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 19 | Restricted |
| Gould Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 11 | Restricted |
| Foot Hills State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
| Allen's Bay State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
| Ah Gwah Ching State Aquatic Management Area (Cass) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
14 places to go in Shingobee Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shingobee Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Shingobee Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Shingobee Township
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Shingobee Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Shingobee Township
Trails RVFee
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 33 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 26.3 mi
North Country Trail11.5 mi
Lake Alice Road Northwest1.3 mi
National Forest Road 7520.8 mi
45th Ave Northwest0.8 mi
Recreation Trail0.5 mi
Teaberry Trail Northwest0.3 mi
Shingobee Trail0.3 mi
Lake Erin Trail Loop0.3 mi
Heartland Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Anoway LakeBig Bass LakeCedar LakeCripple LakeCyphers LakeFifth LakeFourth LakeGadbolt LakeGould LakeHoward LakelakeKaylor FishpondpondLake AliceLake BessLake MaylakeLake ThirtyfourLembke LakeLittle Bass LakeLong LakelakeLost LakeMillion LakeMuskrat LakePortage LakelakeRecreation LakeScoffner LakeSixth LakeStanley LakepondTen LakeThird LakeUpper Fifth LakeWheeler LakeBoy RiverKabekona RiverShingobee River
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
26 mi
off-road bike paths
1.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Volleyball
1Basketball
1Tennis
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Chase HotelBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Shingobee 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 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 18 | 24 | 37 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 53 | 36 | 23 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shingobee Township →
Next door
Shingobee Township and its neighbors
Shingobee Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Shingobee Township57 miTurtle Lake Township26 miHiram Township15 miAkeley Township8.4 miSteamboat River Township8.3 miLeech Lake Township3.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shingobee Township | 51% | 1.1 | under 1 | 1% | B− |
| Turtle Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hiram Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Akeley Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Leech Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Steamboat River 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 Shingobee Township
Where can I hike in Shingobee Township?
The longest trail networks: Chippewa National Forest, 24.3 miles; County 50 Hunter Walking Trails, 7.1 miles; Shingobee Recreation Area, 6.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shingobee Township is conserved land?
51% 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 Shingobee Township’s trails?
Chippewa National Forest and County 50 Hunter Walking Trails don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shingobee Township?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes, 26 of off-road paths and 1.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Shingobee Township?
121,684 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shingobee Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 16,638 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Shingobee Township have?
Ahead of 48% 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 Shingobee 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 →