Lake Byllesby County Park
Park
37 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Miller, Harrison, Farmhouse · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Stanton Township
Stanton Township has 92 acres of parks, 89 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lake Byllesby County Park (1.2 mi), McKnight Prairie (0.5 mi). 26% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6.6 miles of mapped trail cross Stanton Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
41 acres · of 22.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.6 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
92 ac
89 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Highest peak
974 ft
East Prairie Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Stanton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Stanton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stanton Township is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Stanton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land89 acres of park per 1,000 residents (92 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home26% 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 41%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. 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 Byllesby County Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McKnight Prairie
Nature preserve
34 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Gemini Aquatic Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
24 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Lake Byllesby County Park37 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMcKnight Prairie34 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Lake Byllesby Regional Park28 acres
DirectionsGemini Aquatic Management Area24 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
American Veterans Memorial Park2 acres
Who protects it
41 conserved acres
under 1% of Stanton Township’s land. Who manages Stanton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife24 ac
Other state land12 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)6 ac
County6 ac
State Conservation Area · 24 acAgricultural Easement · 12 acConservation Easement · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini State Aquatic Management Area (Goodhue) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 24 | Restricted |
Things to do
16 places to go in Stanton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Stanton Township
Lake Byllesby beachIn Lake Byllesby County Park
DirectionsSwimming spots in Stanton Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Stanton Township
Tot LotIn Lake Byllesby County Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Stanton Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Stanton Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Stanton Township
East Prairie Hill974 ft elevation · In McKnight Prairie
DirectionsWest Praire Hill965 ft elevation · In McKnight Prairie
DirectionsFriendship Point
DirectionsPicnic areas in Stanton Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Stanton Township
Phillippo Scout ReservationBSA Northern Star Council
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Tennis
1Multi-sport
1Volleyball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 Stanton 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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Stanton Township →
Next door
Stanton Township and its neighbors
Stanton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Randolph Township8.6 miStanton Township6.6 miCannon Falls Township3.3 miCannon Falls0.5 miWarsaw Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanton Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 89 | 26% | C+ |
| Randolph Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cannon Falls Township | 2% | 0.1 | 198 | 11% | C+ |
| Cannon Falls | 4% | 0.1 | 25 | 99% | B+ |
| Warsaw Township | — 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 Stanton Township
Where can I hike in Stanton Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Byllesby County Park, 1.2 miles; McKnight Prairie, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Stanton Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Stanton Township’s trails?
Lake Byllesby County Park and McKnight Prairie don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Stanton Township?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Stanton Township?
6,430 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stanton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 92 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Stanton Township have?
Ahead of 41% 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 Stanton 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 →