Sportsmans Park
Park
35 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Winona and St. Peter Freight Depot · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Sleepy Eye
6% of Sleepy Eye’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 94 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents. 6% of Sleepy Eye’s land is conserved, about 75 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #71 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
75 acres · of 1.9 sq mi of land
Trails
0.9 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
94 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.7 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 1.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Sleepy Eye?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sleepy Eye have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sleepy Eye is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Sleepy Eye’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (94 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 74%
Water is 12% of Sleepy Eye’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Sportsmans Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 7 parks & preserves
Sportsmans Park35 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAllison Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEagles Park13 acres
DirectionsPrairieview Park11 acres
DirectionsBurnside Park8 acres
DirectionsKiefer Park5 acres
DirectionsSouth Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
75 conserved acres
6% of Sleepy Eye’s land. Water is left out: Sleepy Eye has 1.9 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Sleepy Eye’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city75 ac
Local Park · 75 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sportsmen'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Prairieview Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Allison Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Kiefer Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Burnside Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| South Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
40 places to go in Sleepy Eye
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Sleepy Eye
Swimming Beach
DirectionsPublic pools in Sleepy Eye
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Sleepy Eye
St. Mary's School Playgrond
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Sleepy Eye
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Sleepy Eye
Elevated Lake Viewing PlatformIn Sportsmans Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Sleepy Eye
15 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Sleepy Eye
Sleepy Eye CampgroundIn Sportsmans Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Basketball
9Baseball
6Tennis
4Football
3Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
1Skate park
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Sleepy Eye
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 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 40 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sleepy Eye →
Questions about parks and trails in Sleepy Eye
Where can I hike in Sleepy Eye?
The longest trail networks: Sportsmans Park, 0.2 miles; Allison Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sleepy Eye 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 Sleepy Eye’s trails?
Sportsmans Park and Eagles Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sleepy Eye?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes and 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sleepy Eye?
547 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sleepy Eye or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 94 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Sleepy Eye have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Sleepy Eye 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 →