Lumberjack Landing
Managed by City of Stillwater
20 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: August Schwerdfeger · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Stillwater
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Stillwater
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 6.0 miles of mapped trail cross Stillwater, 0.7 per square mile of land. 342 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #85 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
222 acres · of 8.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.0 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
342 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
38 mi
37 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Stillwater?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Stillwater have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stillwater is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #85 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Stillwater’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (342 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks 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 84%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 69%
Water is 11% of Stillwater’s area (1 of 9 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Lumberjack Landing, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sunrise Park
Park
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 31 parks & preserves
Lumberjack Landing20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Stillwater
DirectionsNorth Lowell Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPublic Works Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsStillwater Veterans Memorial3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunrise Park19 acres
Bridge View Park19 acres
DirectionsNightingale Park17 acres
Millbrook Field West16 acres · City of Stillwater
DirectionsNorthland Park11 acres
DirectionsMillbrook Park11 acres
DirectionsLily Lake Park10 acres
Saint Croix Islands State Recreation Area8 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Old Athletic Field8 acres
DirectionsBergman Park5 acres
Benson Park5 acres
Brown's Creek Park5 acres
DirectionsPrairie Park5 acres
DirectionsSettlers Park4 acres
DirectionsAnez Ridge Park3 acres
Legends Park2 acres
Pioneer Park2 acres
DirectionsWashington Square2 acres
DirectionsSchulenburg Park2 acres
Heritage Square Park2 acres
Meadowlark Park2 acres
Liberty Square2 acres
DirectionsRamsey Grove Park1 acres
South Lowell Park1 acres
DirectionsStaples Field1 acres
Creekside Park1 acres
Staples Courts1 acres
Who protects it
222 conserved acres
4% of Stillwater’s land. Water is left out: Stillwater has 8.0 square miles of land and 1.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Stillwater’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city141 ac
County75 ac
Other state land17 ac
State fish & wildlife10 ac
Regional agency8 ac
State parks7 ac
Local Park · 101 acRecreation or Education Easement · 75 acLocal Recreation Area · 42 acState Conservation Area · 28 acState Recreation Area · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Jaycee'S Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Jackson Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Other state land | 17 | Open |
| Lily Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Northland Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Nightingale Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Brown's Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Washington) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Restricted |
| Old Athletic Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Saint Croix Islands State Recreation Area | State parks | 7 | Open |
| Benson Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Stillwater
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Stillwater
Benson Park PlaygroundIn Benson Park
DirectionsStonebridge Elementary playground
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Stillwater
Stillwater Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Stillwater
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Stillwater
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Stillwater
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Stillwater
North Hill Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.9 mi
Brown's Creek Trail System1.4 mi
Browns Creek Trail System0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
38 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
37 mi
off-road bike paths
1.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
19Baseball
13Tennis
10Pickleball
7Basketball
3Tracks
3Soccer
2Football
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Washington County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itMinnesota Territorial-State Prison Warden's HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itChicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Freight HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itNelson SchoolBuilding · listed 1979
About itRoscoe Hersey HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itAlbert Lammers HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itCapt. Austin Jenks HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itIvory McKusick HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itMortimer Webster HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSt. Croix Lumber Mills-Stillwater Manufacturing CompanyBuilding · listed 1982
About itWilliam Sauntry House and Recreation HallBuilding · listed 1982
About itStillwater BridgeStructure · listed 1989
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Stillwater
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 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 29 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Stillwater →
Next door
Stillwater and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Stillwater Township13 miSt. Joseph11 miStillwater6.0 miGrant5.5 miOak Park Heights4.9 miSomerset0.8 miHoulton0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater | 4% | 0.7 | 18 | 99%+ | A− |
| Oak Park Heights | 7% | 1.7 | 59 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Stillwater Township | 11% | 0.9 | 204 | 52% | A− |
| Grant | 1% | 0.2 | 32 | 37% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Stillwater
Where can I hike in Stillwater?
The longest trail networks: Lumberjack Landing, 0.4 miles; North Lowell Park, 0.4 miles; Public Works Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Stillwater is conserved land?
4% 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 Stillwater’s trails?
Lumberjack Landing and North Lowell Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Stillwater?
38 miles of bike routes are on the map: 37 of off-road paths and 1.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Stillwater?
21,924 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stillwater or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 342 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Stillwater have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #85 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 Stillwater 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 →