Lake Maria State Park
Managed by MN DNR
1,730 acres14.2 mi of trail
Big Woods LoopBjorkland TrailBig Woods Loop, Anderson Hill LoopAnderson Hill Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Silver Creek Township
Silver Creek Township has 1,822 acres of parks, 706 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Silver Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 2,236 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lake Maria State Park (14.2 mi). 15% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #160 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,236 acres · of 35.9 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,822 ac
706 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
15%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.4 mi
Lakes & rivers
17
5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Silver Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Silver Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Silver Creek Township is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #160 of 274 in Minnesota. 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 Silver Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land706 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,822 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home15% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 42%
Water is 8% of Silver Creek Township’s area (3 of 39 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 9%.
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 Lake Maria State Park, with 14.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hoglund Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
351 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Marcus Zumbrunnen Park
Managed by Wright County, MN
60 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kelly-meyer Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,236 conserved acres
10% of Silver Creek Township’s land. Water is left out: Silver Creek Township has 35.9 square miles of land and 3.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Silver Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,581 ac
State fish & wildlife360 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service342 ac
Other state land42 ac
Joint39 ac
State Park · 1,581 acState Conservation Area · 360 acConservation Easement · 255 acResource Management Area · 167 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 211 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Maria State Park State Park | State parks | 1,581 | Open |
| Hoglund State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 351 | Restricted |
| Wright County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 84 | Restricted |
| Wright County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 84 | Restricted |
| Silver Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Wright) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 5 | Restricted |
| Mississippi Island Wright State Aquatic Management Area (Wright) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3 | Restricted |
| Kelly-meyer State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
32 places to go in Silver Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Silver Creek Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Silver Creek Township
Anderson Hill LookoutIn Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsNature ObservationIn Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsViewing pointIn Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Silver Creek Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Silver Creek Township
B1In Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB10Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB11Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB12Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB13Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB14Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB15Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB16Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
Directions11 more campgrounds
B17Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB2In Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB3Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB4Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB5Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB6In Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB7Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB8Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsB9Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsOak Hill Group Camp G2Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsWhitetail Group Camp G1Fee · In Lake Maria State Park · Lake Maria State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 6.7 miUnpaved · 9.4 mi
Big Woods Loop1.9 mi
Bjorkland Trail1.3 mi
Big Woods Loop, Anderson Hill Loop1.3 mi
Anderson Hill Loop1.0 mi
Kettle Kame Trail0.6 mi
Big Woods Loop, Bjorkland Trail0.5 mi
Zumbrunnen Interpretive Trail0.4 mi
Biking & sports
4.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
When to get out
The walking year in Silver 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 71 | 57 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Silver Creek Township →
Next door
Silver Creek Township and its neighbors
Silver Creek Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Monticello Township24 miSilver Creek Township14 miBecker13 miMaple Lake Township9.4 miClear Lake Township1.0 miClearwater Township0.1 miCorinna Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Creek Township | 10% | 0.4 | 706 | 15% | B+ |
| Clear Lake Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 25 | 3% | C− |
| Becker | 2% | 1.1 | 69 | 90% | A− |
| Maple Lake Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Monticello Township | 5% | 0.6 | 379 | 29% | B+ |
| Clearwater Township | 9% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 1% | D |
| Corinna Township | 5% | under 0.1 | 78 | 7% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Silver Creek Township
Where can I hike in Silver Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Maria State Park, 14.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Silver Creek Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Silver Creek Township’s trails?
Lake Maria State Park and Hoglund Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Silver Creek Township?
4.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Silver Creek Township?
7,663 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Silver Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,822 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Silver Creek Township have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #160 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 Silver 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 →