Silver Creek Township has 2,519 acres of parks, 2,077 for every 1,000 residents
36% of Silver Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 67,232 acres. 290 miles of mapped trail cross Silver Creek Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Superior National Forest (40.6 mi), Gooseberry Falls State Park (22.8 mi), Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (3.5 mi).
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 84% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Silver Creek Township’s overall grade.
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.
36% of Silver Creek Township’s land. Who manages Silver Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service51,015 ac
State natural resources9,488 ac
State fish & wildlife3,902 ac
State parks2,541 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits926 ac
National Forest · 51,015 acState Resource Management Area · 9,475 acState Conservation Area · 3,914 acState Park · 2,523 acConservation Easement · 926 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 479 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 20 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Superior National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
51,015
Open
Finland State Forest
State Resource Management Area
State natural resources
5,304
Open
Miscellaneous
State Resource Management Area
State natural resources
4,171
Open
Split Rock River State Aquatic Management Area (Lake)
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
2,159
Restricted
Gooseberry Falls State Park
State Park
State parks
1,665
Open
Beaver River State Aquatic Management Area (Lake)
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
1,111
Restricted
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
State Park
State parks
858
Open
Skunk Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Lake)
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
229
Restricted
Gooseberry River State Aquatic Management Area (Lake)
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
190
Restricted
Stony Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Lake)
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
119
Restricted
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
49 places to go in Silver Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Tennis
3Tracks
2Baseball
1Soccer
1Football
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
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
15.1
15.9
15.6
14.2
12.5
10.8
9.2
8.5
High (°F)
18
24
36
48
62
71
77
75
66
51
35
23
Rain (in)
1.1
1.0
1.5
2.5
3.2
4.4
3.8
3.3
3.5
3.1
2.0
1.6
February is the driest month (1.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.4 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 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
— 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 Silver Creek Township
Where can I hike in Silver Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Superior National Forest, 40.6 miles; Gooseberry Falls State Park, 22.8 miles; Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, 3.5 miles; Finland State Forest, 2.7 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?
36% 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?
Superior National Forest and Gooseberry Falls State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Silver Creek Township?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Silver Creek Township?
249,192 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Silver Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 61,474 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Silver Creek Township have?
Ahead of 84% 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 Silver Creek Township neighbors.
Photo: Good Free Photos · CC BY 3.0