Minneopa State Park
Park
1,649 acres6.5 mi of trail
Minnesota River Bluff TrailSeppmann Mill TrailMinneapa Creek TrailWetland Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Charles Chapman House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in South Bend Township
South Bend Township has 1,253 acres of parks, 859 for every 1,000 residents
14% of South Bend Township’s land is conserved, about 1,501 acres. The biggest trail networks: Minneopa State Park (6.5 mi). 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,501 acres · of 16.4 sq mi of land
Trails
6.7 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,253 ac
859 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
6.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is South Bend Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Bend Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Bend Township is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Bend Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land859 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,253 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
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 Minneopa State Park, with 6.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
O A Vee Memorial Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
53 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Williams Nature Center
Managed by Blue Earth County
44 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Red Jacket Valley Park
Managed by Blue Earth County
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,501 conserved acres
14% of South Bend Township’s land. Who manages South Bend Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,338 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)180 ac
State fish & wildlife86 ac
Other state land60 ac
State Park · 1,338 acConservation Easement · 240 acState Conservation Area · 86 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 77 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneopa State Park State Park | State parks | 1,338 | Open |
| O A Vee Memorial State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 86 | Restricted |
Things to do
11 places to go in South Bend Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in South Bend Township
Lower Minneopa FallsIn Minneopa State Park
DirectionsTriple Falls
DirectionsUpper Minneopa FallsIn Minneopa State Park
DirectionsScenic views in South Bend Township
North Overlook
DirectionsSouth OverlookIn Minneopa State Park
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in South Bend Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in South Bend Township
Minneopa State ParkFee · In Minneopa State Park
DirectionsMinneopa State Park CampgroundIn Minneopa State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.2 mi
Minnesota River Bluff Trail3.8 mi
Seppmann Mill Trail1.6 mi
Minneapa Creek Trail0.5 mi
Wetland Loop Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.2 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in South Bend 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in South Bend Township →
Next door
South Bend Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mankato12 miBelgrade Township9.7 miSouth Bend Township6.7 miMankato Township1.3 miJudson Township1.0 miRapidan Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend Township | 14% | 0.4 | 859 | 74% | A |
| Belgrade Township | 4% | 0.3 | 428 | 13% | B |
| Mankato Township | 1% | 0.1 | 84 | 14% | C |
| Mankato | 6% | 0.6 | 18 | 93% | A− |
| Judson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rapidan Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 46 | 12% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Bend Township
Where can I hike in South Bend Township?
The longest trail networks: Minneopa State Park, 6.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Bend Township is conserved land?
14% 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 South Bend Township’s trails?
Minneopa State Park and O A Vee Memorial Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Bend Township?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Bend Township?
3,542 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Bend Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,253 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Bend Township have?
Ahead of 87% 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 South Bend 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 →