George Friedrich Park
Park
174 acres2.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in St. Cloud
5% of St. Cloud’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: George Friedrich Park (2.5 mi), Heritage Park (2.1 mi), Eastman Park (0.7 mi). 1,624 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 5% of St. Cloud’s land is conserved, about 1,361 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #123 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,361 acres · of 40.2 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,624 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
42 mi
5.4 mi lanes · 33 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is St. Cloud?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Cloud have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Cloud is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #123 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 St. Cloud’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,624 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 55%
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 George Friedrich Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Southwood Heights Garden Park
Park
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sauk River Regional Park
Park
36 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 47 parks & preserves
George Friedrich Park174 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Park70 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEastman Park26 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park38 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSouthwood Heights Garden Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Sauk River Regional Park36 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWilson Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHester Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHighland Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of St. Cloud
South Side Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsClemens Gardens7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPan Town Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWest Whitney Park109 acres
DirectionsSand Prairie Wildlife Management Area42 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTalahi Park28 acres
McKinley Park18 acres
DirectionsSelke Field14 acres · St. Cloud State University
DirectionsCentennial Park12 acres
Knights of Columbus Park6 acres
DirectionsOak Wood Park5 acres
Seberger Park5 acres
Tiffany park5 acres
Carlin Park5 acres
DirectionsRotary Park4 acres
Southview Ninety Park4 acres
Rose Richter Park4 acres
Ridgewood Park4 acres
Southwood Heights Park4 acres · Southwood Heights
Barden Park3 acres · City of St. Cloud
DirectionsPlum Creek Park3 acres
Pioneer Park3 acres
Concord Park3 acres
Rotary East Park3 acres
West River Meadows Park3 acres
Reach Up Park2 acres
Cooper hill park2 acres
Lion's Park1 acres
DirectionsSpalt Park1 acres
Rail Road Park1 acres · City of Saint Cloud
1010 Park1 acres
Signal Hills Park1 acres
Crestview Park1 acres
Cimarron Park1 acres
Sunset Park1 acres
Orchid park1 acres
Cooper Hills Oaks Park1 acres
Butler Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,361 conserved acres
5% of St. Cloud’s land. Who manages St. Cloud’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,297 ac
State fish & wildlife64 ac
Local Park · 1,274 acState Conservation Area · 64 acLocal Other or Unknown · 21 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neenah Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 247 | Open |
| St. Cloud River Bluffs Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 144 | Open |
| Whitney Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 126 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Serenity Park Local Park | Town or city | 78 | Open |
| Westwood Parkway Local Park | Town or city | 74 | Open |
| Pineview Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Sand Prairie State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 42 | Restricted |
| Cooper Hills/Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
67 places to go in St. Cloud
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in St. Cloud
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in St. Cloud
4 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in St. Cloud
Ridgwood PlaygroundIn Ridgewood Park
DirectionsWilson Park (playground)In Wilson Park
Directions45 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in St. Cloud
3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in St. Cloud
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in St. Cloud
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in St. Cloud
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
42 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
33 mi
off-road bike paths
3.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
54Tennis
35Baseball
18Soccer
17Basketball
7Football
5Beach volleyball
4Tracks
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Foley-Brower-Bohmer HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itMichael Majerus HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itJohn N. Bensen HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itBishop's House/Chancery OfficeBuilding · listed 1982
About itFifth Avenue Commercial BuildingsBuilding · listed 1982
About itFirst National BankBuilding · listed 1982
About itNehemiah P. Clarke HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itStearns County Courthouse and JailBuilding · listed 1982
About itPan Motor Company Office and Sheet Metal WorksBuilding · listed 1984
About itCarter BlockBuilding · listed 1986
About itMinnesota State Reformatory for Men Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itModel SchoolBuilding · listed 1988
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in St. Cloud
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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 27 | 39 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 71 | 56 | 40 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in St. Cloud →
Next door
St. Cloud and its neighbors
St. Cloud has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Cloud16 miWaite Park14 miMinden Township8.1 miSauk Rapids5.3 miSartell4.8 miHaven Township4.7 miSt. Augusta3.4 miLe Sauk Township0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud | 5% | 0.4 | 23 | 97% | A− |
| Minden Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 10 | 38% | C |
| Haven Township | 4% | 0.1 | under 1 | 2% | D |
| Waite Park | 5% | 1.1 | 10 | 83% | B+ |
| Le Sauk Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 48 | 36% | C |
| St. Augusta | 1% | 0.1 | 25 | 18% | C |
| Sauk Rapids | 4% | 0.8 | 24 | 98% | A− |
| Sartell | 7% | 0.5 | 28 | 97% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Cloud
Where can I hike in St. Cloud?
The longest trail networks: George Friedrich Park, 2.5 miles; Heritage Park, 2.1 miles; Eastman Park, 0.7 miles; Riverside Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Cloud is conserved land?
5% 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 St. Cloud’s trails?
George Friedrich Park and Heritage Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Cloud?
42 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes, 33 of off-road paths and 3.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near St. Cloud?
4,466 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Cloud or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,624 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does St. Cloud have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #123 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 St. Cloud 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 →